


Greatest Hits

by Brambleshadow_of_WindClan



Category: Warriors, Warriors - Erin Hunter
Genre: Angst, Blood, Character Study, Dark Forest, Death, Drama, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, F/M, Gen, Grief, Tragedy, songfics
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2011-08-16
Updated: 2016-05-05
Packaged: 2017-10-22 17:00:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 38
Words: 31,337
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/240344
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Brambleshadow_of_WindClan/pseuds/Brambleshadow_of_WindClan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A collection of one-shot Warriors songfics. Contains songs by Heart, Pat Benatar, Garth Brooks, Loverboy, Amy Grant, Leona Lewis, and eventually Evanescence, Def Leppard, and Fire Inc.</p><p><b>Disclaimer:</b> Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. All Fired Up

**Author's Note:**

> I am now posting all my one-shot Warriors songfics in one story. That way, it's easier to keep track of, and it's easier for you guys. Most of these are probably going to be either LeafxCrow or SquirrelxBramble, but there are some centered around Ravenpaw, Tigerstar, Nightcloud and Firestar. Let me know what you think.
> 
> Song: "All Fired Up" by Pat Benatar

_Livin' with my eyes closed  
Goin' day to day  
I never knew the difference  
I never cared either way  
Lookin' for a reason  
Searchin' for a sign  
Reachin' out with both hands  
I gotta feel the kick inside_

Leafpool padded listlessly at the back of the hunting patrol. The others were returning to camp loaded with prey, while she had caught nothing to add to the fresh-kill pile. She didn't really care. All the fight, it seemed, had gone out of her after Hollyleaf revealed the truth. The former medicine cat prayed, Help me, StarClan. At least send me a sign.

 _All fired up—now I believe there comes a time  
All fired up—when everything just falls in line  
All fired up—we live an' learn from our mistakes  
All fired up, fired up, fired up  
Hey_

The tabby she-cat just had to live and learn from her mistakes. Yellowfang, Bluestar, and Lionheart had warned her, after all. At the time, though, Leafpool didn't know what the three StarClan cats were talking about—or who, for that matter. Now, seasons later, she was . . . all fired up. (Okay, maybe not.)

 _Ain't nobody livin'  
In a perfect world  
Everybody's out there  
Cryin' to be heard  
And I got a new fire  
Burnin' in my eyes  
Lightin' up the darkness  
Movin' like a meteorite_

Six moons later, Leafpool was moving like a different cat. She was more confident, although she wasn't quite sure if she was a warrior or a medicine cat. None of them lived in a perfect world, but she had a new fire burnin' in her eyes. The tabby she-cat believed there came a time when everything just fell in line. Every cat had to learn to live with their mistakes. Besides, everyone was out there cryin' to be heard.

 _All fired up—now I believe there comes a time  
All fired up—when everything just falls in line  
All fired up—we live and learn from our mistakes  
All fired up, fired up, fired up  
The deepest cuts are healed by faith_

 _Now I believe there comes a time  
When everything just falls in line  
We live an' learn from our mistakes  
The deepest cuts are healed by faith_

 _Now I believe there comes a time  
When everything just falls in line  
We live an' learn from our mistakes  
The deepest cuts are healed by faith_

 _Now I believe there comes a time  
When everything just falls in line  
We live an' learn from our mistakes  
The deepest cuts are healed by faith  
Now I believe_

 _All fired up—now I believe there comes a time  
All fired up—when everything just falls in line  
All fired up—we live an' learn from our mistakes  
All fired up, all fired up, all fired up—  
The deepest cuts are healed by faith  
All fired up_

 _Now I believe there comes a time  
When everything just falls in line  
We live an' learn from our mistakes  
The deepest cuts are healed by faith_


	2. Nothin' at All

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pairing: LeafxCrow
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing.
> 
> Song: "Nothin' at All" by Heart

_I would walk home every evening  
Through the pyramids of light  
I would feed myself on silence  
Wash it down with empty nights_

The newly named Leafpool padded slowly through the thorn barrier into the new ThunderClan camp. It was so late, every other cat was asleep in their dens—even Cinderpelt. Sighing, the medicine cat apprentice curled up in her nest outside the medicine cats' den.

 _Then your innocent distractions  
Hit me so hard  
My emotional reaction  
Caught me off guard_

Leafpool was awakened the next morning by a paw prodding her in the side. The light brown tabby she-cat blinked open sleepy amber eyes to see Cinderpelt standing over her.

"Leafpool, I need you to fetch some tansy. Our supplies are running low, and I need to take some to Mousefur. She's coughing again," the gray tabby she-cat explained.

"Sure, Cinderpelt." Leafpool leaped out of her nest, shaking the moss out of her fur. "I'll go right away."

The ThunderClan medicine cat just nodded and ducked back in her den to fetch Mousefur's herbs. As soon as her back was turned, Leafpool was out of the ThunderClan camp and heading to the WindClan border to pick some tansy.

She slowed down as she reached the border stream and scented tansy nearby. Leafpool bent her head and started to bite through the stems when she heard WindClan cats on the other side of the border. Forgetting all about the tansy, she trotted over, curious to see who it was. Her heart gave a lurch as Crowfeather appeared beside Whitetail and Tornear.

 _Why should I feel anything for that bad-tempered furball?_ she thought furiously. But as she thought it, her mind flooded with an image of her leaping over the stream to land next to him and bury her muzzle in his pelt.

 _It was nothing at all (nothing at all)  
Like anything I had felt before  
No, nothin at all (nothing at all)  
Like I thought, no it's so much more  
No one else has ever  
Made me feel this way  
When I ask you how you did it  
You just say  
It was nothing at all_

"What are you doing here?" Whitetail asked the ThunderClan she-cat. The white WindClan warrior's tail was twitching, and her eyes were narrowed suspiciously.

"I'm picking tansy," Leafpool informed Whitetail, pointing at the stalks with her tail. "See?"

Tornear grunted. "Well, since you're not trespassing, let's finish the patrol. Come on, Whitetail, Crowfeather."

The three cats turned to go. Crowfeather dropped slightly back behind the senior warriors at Leafpool's low hiss: "Crowfeather, wait!"

"What is it?" he meowed softly, casting a swift glance over his shoulder at the other members of the patrol. They had continued along the border and were hidden by thick trees, but they were sure to find them any moment.

Leafpool swallowed. _How do I put this?_ Finally, she mewed, "Crowfeather, look, I've been having strong feelings for you. How do you make me feel this way?"

Understanding lit the dark gray tom's blue eyes as he replied, It's nothing at all. Besides, you walk in my dreams, Leafpool. Do you have any idea of how I feel about you—and how much I hate myself after I lost Feathertail?"

"Yes," she breathed. Amending herself, she added, "Well, not how much you hate yourself, but the other part: yes."

Crowfeather purred and Leafpool found her tail twining with his. Her ear fur ruffled as he whispered, "Will you meet me later tonight?"

"Of course," she mewed softly.

"Crowfeather!" a voice called. Startled, Crowfeather pulled back from Leafpool and raced after his Clanmates, calling, "Coming!"

Leafpool watched his retreating gray figure until it vanished in the trees. A purr rising in her throat, she leaped back across the stream and collected the tansy she had found earlier. Her mind was filled with Crowfeather's face all the way back to camp.

 _(Nothing at all)  
At all_

 _Now I walk home every evening  
And my feet are quick to move  
'Cause I know my destination  
Is a warm and waiting you_

A half-moon later, Leafpool slipped out of camp through the secret entrance she had discovered. When she reached the top, she sighed with relief. No one had noticed her. Tasting the air just in case, she didn't scent any other cat and raced for her meeting place with Crowfeather.

She spotted him standing in a small, concealed clearing they had discovered not far from the WindClan border. No other cat besides them knew it was there, and besides, the other ThunderClan cats had assumed it was nothing more than an abandoned den. Crowfeather's dark gray pelt gleamed in the moonlight that filtered through the trees.

"Crowfeather!" she exclaimed.

He whirled around. "Leafpool!"

 _From our first communication  
It was clear  
Any thought of moderation  
Would soon disappear_

Leafpool raced across the clearing towards him, carrying him off his paws as she barreled into him.

"Geez, Leafpool," he grumbled good-naturedly. "Trample me to the ground, why don't you." Even though the words sounded grumpy, his blue eyes shone with amusement.

Leafpool suddenly realized she was still on top of him. The skin under her fur grew hot with embarrassment as she scrambled off him. Crowfeather sat up and leaned closer to her, their pelts brushing. As he nuzzled her neck fur, Leafpool gazed up at the warriors of StarClan twinkling above, barely visible inside their leafy cave.

"Do you think they know what we're doing?" she asked.

 _It was nothing at all (nothing at all)  
Like anything I had felt before  
No nothing at all (nothing at all)  
Like I thought, no it's so much more  
No one else has ever  
Made me feel this way  
When I ask you how you did it  
You just say  
Oh, it was nothing at all_

 _Then your innocent distractions  
Hit me so hard  
My emotional reaction  
Caught me off guard_

Crowfeather started drawing his tongue over the side of her face. After a few licks, he replied, "If they did, they would send the clouds to cover the moon, wouldn't they? Besides, if they can't see us here, they can't see us anywhere."

Leafpool nodded shakily, finding herself melting into his lithe frame. As they started sharing tongues, emotions cascaded through her, letting down her guard.

 _It was nothing at all (nothing at all)  
Like anything I had felt before  
No nothing at all (nothing at all)  
Like I thought, no it's so much more  
No one else has ever  
Made me feel this way  
When I asked you how you did it  
You just say  
Oh, it was nothing at all_

"Crowfeather," she murmured.

"Hmm?"

"You know I've never felt this way about any other cat, right?"

"Yes," he mewed softly.

Leafpool by now was feeling groggy, due to the relaxing sound of lapping fur and the familiar scent of the WindClan warrior who threw her feelings into turmoil. Sighing contently, she drifted into sleep with Crowfeather curled around her.

 _(Nothing at all)  
Like anything I felt before  
Oh nothing at all (nothing at all)  
Nothing at all (nothing at all)_


	3. If Looks Could Kill

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song: "If Looks Could Kill" by Heart
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not, nor will I ever, own the wonderful world of Warriors, however much I wish it. Hence the constant fanfics. Enjoy!
> 
> A/N: Before favoriting, could you please review? It's really irritating when I get an email saying someone favorited or subscribed to a story, but that same person couldn't review! So please, review!

_Caught you in the act—can't put up with that  
Messin' where you shouldn't be  
I wanna hear you say you're sorry  
'Cause nobody takes advantage of me_

Nightcloud stared in shock, refusing to believe what she was seeing. _Her_ mate was messing where he shouldn't be—as in hanging around that no-good ThunderClan she-cat. The black warrior couldn't put up with that.

From where she was hiding unseen, the WindClan she-cat saw Crowfeather give Leafpool a farewell lick on the ear and start padding back to camp. Nightcloud moved to intercept the smoky-gray tom when he was halfway back to the WindClan camp. The furious she-cat hissed, "Crowfeather, I wanna hear you apologize."

"Why?" he asked, puzzlement in his blue eyes.

"Cause nobody takes advantage of me."

The gray-black warrior's tail twitched and he let out a wordless snarl as he stalked past her and into camp a couple tree-lengths away.

 _You're missing the mark—shooting in the dark  
I'm pulling the wool from my eyes  
Baby don't push me further  
It's gonna hurt you if it happens twice_

Later that day, as she was sharing tongues with Sedgewhisker, Nightcloud realized that she didn't really know her mate at all. Why else would he be seeing Leafpool?

 _Don't push me further, Crowfeather_ , she thought. _Next time this happens, you're going to be hurt._

 _If looks could kill  
You'd be lying on the floor  
You'd be begging me please please  
Baby don't hurt me no more  
If looks could kill  
You'd be reeling from the pain  
And you'd never lie again  
If looks could kill_

Nightcloud shot Crowfeather a poisonous look and imagined him lying on the floor, begging her not to kill him. _If looks could kill_ , she thought, _you'd be reeling from the pain and you'd never lie again._

Her claws flexed in and out, causing Sedgewhisker to leap away. "Watch it!" the light brown she-cat spat, fluffing up her fur.

"Sorry, Sedgewhisker," Nightcloud meowed absentmindedly, still looking at Crowfeather.

Sedgewhisker followed her gaze. "Oh, for StarClan's sake, go _talk_ to him if it's so important," she mewed in exasperation.

Nightcloud pushed herself to her paws, but instead of walking over to Crowfeather, she plucked a rabbit from the fresh-kill pile.

 _You're living on the edge—hanging by a thread  
I'm watching every move you make  
You don't want to see my anger  
So don't you make another mistake_

The black WindClan warrior tore into her rabbit, keeping one eye on her mate, scrutinizing his every move. Nightcloud figured he was hanging by a thread. Still, that was no reason for her not to be friendly to her own Clanmate.

"Crowfeather, over here!" she called.

The dark gray tomcat's head shot up and he gave her a wary glance.

Nightcloud indicated her fresh-kill with a wave of her tail. "You want some?"

The wary look in his sapphire-colored eyes faded. "Sure." Crowfeather padded over to and settled himself opposite Nightcloud, munching on one of the rabbit's haunches.

"Crowfeather."

"What?" He looked up with a mouthful of rabbit.

"Just thought you'd like to know that you don't want to see me angry. Don't make another mistake."

Suddenly looking nervous, Crowfeather swallowed his food. "I don't know what you mean," he lied.

 _Love is on the line—I ain't about to be kind  
That's a promise and a threat  
If I was you I'd really cool it  
Or risk a night you'd never forget_

"Yeah, right," Nightcloud snorted. "Love is on the line. I'm not about to be kind here. That's a promise and a threat. You'd better cool it."

"Or what?" Crowfeather mewed, his neck fur spiking up.

"Risk a night you'd never forget," Nightcloud meowed with a hint of a snarl in her voice.

 _If looks could kill  
You'd be lying on the floor  
You'd be begging me please please  
Darlin' don't hurt me no more  
If looks could kill  
You'd be reeling from the pain  
And you'd never lie again  
If looks could kill_

An image of the dark gray tom writhing in pain on the ground filled Nightcloud's mind. She let out a small growl of satisfaction.

 _I was a fool to believe in you  
A sucker for every line  
I'm a little less blind  
Than I was before  
I can see right through your design_

Crowfeather heard it and started to slink away, but Nightcloud's tail blocked his path. She hissed, "I was a fool to believe in you, a sucker for every line. Right now, I'm not as blind. I can see right through your design."

The gray-black tom shoved her tail away and stalked over to the warriors' den.

 _If looks could kill  
You'd be lying on the floor  
You'd be begging me please please  
Baby don't hurt me no more  
If looks could kill  
You'd be reeling from the pain  
And you'd never lie again  
If looks could kill_

 _You'd be lying on the floor  
You'd be begging me please please  
Baby don't hurt me no more  
If looks could kill  
You'd be reeling from the pain  
And you'd never lie again  
If looks could kill  
If looks could kill_


	4. Stranded

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song: "Stranded" by Heart
> 
> Disclaimer: Disclaimed.
> 
> PLEASE REVIEW BEFORE FAVORITING/SUBSCRIBING. I'D APPRECIATE IT.
> 
>  
> 
> \-----------------------------------------------------------------------

_Standing here helpless  
Where do I go  
If you leave me alone  
Where do I turn now  
If it don't work out  
As far as I can see  
This isn't the way  
That you said it would be_

Leafpool stood facing Crowfeather, hopelessness swamping her. Where do I go? Out loud she protested, "If you leave me alone, where do I turn now?"

The dark gray tom's blue eyes narrowed, pain flashing in their dark depths. "Figure it out," he meowed tartly. He started to turn away, but Leafpool leaped in front of him, blocking his path.

"Crowfeather, if it don't work out, as far as I can see, this isn't the way that you said it would be."

 _Don't leave me like this  
Don't leave me stranded  
If you walk away now  
You leave me empty handed  
Don't leave me like this  
Don't leave me stranded  
Don't leave me now  
Don't leave me . . ._

The WindClan warrior let out a wordless growl and tried to move around her, but Leafpool wouldn't let him. She pleaded, "Don't leave me like this. If you walk away now, you leave me empty handed."

"Leafpool, stop it," Crowfeather murmured in a voice tight with pain. "You're making a scene."

Several of their Clanmates were giving them suspicious glances as they recovered from the shock of the recent attack.

"So let's go somewhere where we won't," the ThunderClan medicine cat meowed matter-of-factly. She led Crowfeather out of camp via the secret escape route and into the woods far enough where none of the WindClan or ThunderClan cats could hear them. Once satisfied they were safe, Leafpool whipped around so she was facing Crowfeather, fully expecting him to argue.

He did. "Really, Leafpool, I don't know if we can do this anymore. Goodb—"

He choked on a mouthful of fur as the light brown tabby slapped her tail across his mouth. Her amber eyes narrowed.

 _"Wasn't it you  
Who brought me here  
To the place lovers go  
Just look at these arms  
Reaching out to you  
You said that you'd always care  
I just turned around  
And there's nobody there"_

"Leafpool," he mewed through a mouthful of fur, "I—"

 _"Don't leave me like this  
Don't leave me stranded  
If you walk away now  
You leave me empty handed  
Don't leave me like this  
Don't leave me stranded  
Don't leave me now"_

Crossly, he batted her tail away. "I'm sorry, Leafpool, but maybe it's for the best." He brushed past her and down the secret escape route to his Clanmates. Leafpool watched him go, her eyes clouded with loss.

 _You said that you'd always care  
I just turned around and there's nobody there_

Before leaving, Crowfeather glanced back at her, but Leafpool had turned away. She whispered, "You said that you'd always care . . ."

Finally she gave in to temptation, but she was too late. Crowfeather was gone.

 _Don't leave me like . . .  
Don't leave me like this  
Don't leave me stranded  
If you walk away now  
You leave me empty handed  
Don't leave me like this  
Don't leave me stranded stranded  
Don't leave me like this  
Don't leave me stranded  
If you walk away now  
You leave me empty handed  
Don't leave me like this  
Don't leave me stranded stranded  
Don't leave me like this no  
Don't leave me like this yeah  
Don't leave me like this_


	5. Evil Genius

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song: "Evil Genius" by Pat Benatar
> 
> Disclaimer: Disclaimed.
> 
> Please let me know what you think. I love hearing reviews.

_They were so ecstatic when the letter arrived  
A certified genius at the age of five  
They planned his future so carefully  
He was everything they hoped he'd be._

Leopardfoot and Pinestar of ThunderClan were so proud when their only surviving kit was made an apprentice. It was obvious that Tigerpaw would become a great warrior and maybe Clan leader. He was everything they could have asked for, a real asset to ThunderClan.

 _He was a model child, a devoted son  
Loved and admired by everyone  
He played out every role, a "T.V. Hero"  
He lived his life in a video fantasy._

The broad-shouldered tabby tom was a model apprentice, completely devoted to his Clan. Every cat admired his battle skills—and feared them. Tigerpaw seemed like StarClan's gift to ThunderClan.

 _He was good at school, never failed a grade  
They gave him hopes and dreams  
And taught him not to hate  
He had rules he learned to break for fun  
Now he's hidin', coz there's fingerprints on the gun._

He excelled at training, never failing an assessment. The Clan taught him not to hate, but Thistleclaw, his mentor, taught him otherwise: to hate all kittypets, rogues, loners, and cats from rival Clans. Tigerpaw, now Tigerclaw, broke the warrior code each time he tried to gain power.

When he murdered noble Redtail in order to become ThunderClan deputy, Tigerclaw finally had his wish granted. Then when he tried to kill Bluestar, the shocked Clan sent him into exile.

 _Why'd ya' have to do it, Evil Genius?  
Was it justified in your mind?  
Why'd ya' put us through it Evil Genius?  
Was it justified in your mind every time  
You held a grudge?_

Why in the name of StarClan did he have to murder so many cats to achieve his ambition? Was it justified in his own mind all the evil deeds he did? If he was a rogue it would've been bad enough, but being a Clan cat, he put his whole Clan through the consequences. Every time he held a grudge, did he convince himself that he was doing the right thing?

 _Was it something said that pushed you over the line?  
Your best interests were in our minds  
You kept it so well hidden, we never knew  
No one ever expected anything like this from you._

No cat in ThunderClan—even Bluestar—suspected of what he was capable of. Only Fireheart, Graystripe, and Ravenpaw knew Tigerclaw's true nature. He'd kept it so well hidden from the rest of ThunderClan that when the truth was revealed, they were all shocked and stunned. After all, who would expect anything like his depth of betrayal from the Clan's loyal deputy?

All they'd had in mind was his best interests. Was it something said that pushed him over the line and made him decide to kill Bluestar? Who knows, and StarClan pray we never find out. . . .

 _Why'd ya' have to do it, Evil Genius?  
Was it justified in your mind?  
Why'd ya' put us through it, Evil Genius?  
Was it justified in your mind anytime, you held a grudge?_

 _Why'd ya' have to do it, Evil Genius?  
Was it justified in your mind?  
Why'd ya' put us through it, Evil Genius?  
Was it justified in your mind anytime you held a grudge?_

 _Why'd ya' have to do it, Evil Genius?  
Was it justified in your mind?  
Why'd ya' put us through it, Evil Genius?  
Was it justified in your mind, anytime you held a grudge? _


	6. Hell Is For Children

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song: "Hell Is For Children" by Pat Benatar
> 
> A/N: Before you go biting my head off and saying hell _isn't_ for children, read the lyrics. It's a good song, and it's about a very serious matter. If you've never heard this song, I suggest looking it up on YouTube or iTunes, if iTunes has it.
> 
> Disclaimer: Oh, all the things I could do if I owned Warriors . . .
> 
> Another A/N: Please review and let me know what you think BEFORE you favorite/subscribe. Thanks.

_They cry in the dark so you can't see their tears  
They hide in the light so you can't see their fears  
Forgive and forget, all the while  
Love and pain become one and the same  
In the eyes of a wounded child_

"Ravenpaw!" Tigerclaw's yowl cut through the frosty air of the ThunderClan camp, causing the black apprentice to jump.

"Yes, Tigerclaw?" he asked fearfully before turning to face his mentor.

The dark brown tabby tom eyes him cooly before meowing, "We're having battle practice in the clearing with Graypaw and Firepaw. They're probably already there by now, so move, will you?"

Ravenpaw only nodded, avoiding Tigerclaw's piercing gaze directly, and shoved past the senior warrior. Without so much as a squeak, he trotted through the thorn tunnel and picked up the pace until the trees blurred around him. The skinny black apprentice thought hopefully, _I hope Firepaw and Graypaw can help me._

 

When the three apprentices returned to camp after training, Ravenpaw was even more tense and skittish than usual. Neither of his friends knew that he'd witnessed Redtail's murder; that he had not been killed by Oakheart, the RiverClan deputy, but by Ravenpaw's own mentor, Tigerclaw. The ThunderClan apprentice flinched as he heard Tigerclaw's loud meow next to him.

"Go away!"

Firepaw looked at him oddly. "Ravenpaw, it's just me. Are you okay?"

Ravenpaw blinked, coming out of a daze. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," he mewed hurriedly. Without looking back at the ginger tom, he trotted over to his nest in the apprentices' cave and curled up, choked with fear.

 _Because hell  
Hell is for children  
And you know that their little lives can become such a mess  
Hell  
Hell is for children  
And you shouldn't have to pay for your love with your bones and your flesh_

Moonlight threw deep shadows into the apprentices' den, but Ravenpaw, eyes closed, didn't notice. He was deep in a nightmare.

Mist wreathed around the tree trunks and try as Ravenpaw might, he couldn't see the comforting light of StarClan. _Where am I?_ he wondered. Pelt bristling, he unsheathed his claws and padded warily forward.

"Scared, little warrior?" A menacing growl rippled through the trees. Ravenpaw whipped around to see amber eyes glaring at him from under a bush; then Tigerclaw crept from under it, a mocking gleam in his yellow eyes.

Ravenpaw just stared in horror. Fear slammed into his throat, making it hard to breathe.

Tigerclaw clearly guessed what his silence meant. "Good. You should be." Eyes narrowed, the dark tabby leapt on his apprentice, claws outstretched.

The coal-black apprentice jerked awake as he felt his mentor's teeth pierce his neck. Gasping for breath, he looked around. His nest was torn in pieces from when he'd tried to escape Tigerclaw's grasp.

Firepaw and Sandpaw glared at him with glowing green eyes. Sandpaw complained, "Keep it down, will you? I was chasing a mouse and it was _this_ far away." She held her pale ginger paws a whisker-length apart.

Firepaw purred as the pale she-cat curled up again with her nose under her paw. Then, when Sandpaw's breathing deepened and slowed, "Whatever's going on, you can tell me. I won't tell anyone."

"I know," Ravenpaw murmured as weariness overtook him. He closed his eyes and fell into the comforting blackness. This time, no dreams disturbed him.

 _It's all so confusing, this brutal abusing  
They blacken your eyes and then apologize  
You're daddy's good girl, and don't tell mommy a thing  
Be a good little boy and you'll get a new toy  
Tell grandma you fell off the swing_

"Ravenpaw." A paw nudged the black tom in the side. "Wake up."

"Mhm-uh." Ravenpaw blinked bleary amber eyes and raised his head. "What is it?"

"Dawn patrol," Firepaw informed him.

Ravenpaw felt a rush of dread at going out with Tigerclaw. Visions of his mentor turning on him deep in the forest and murdering him danced through his mind.

Don't be ridiculous, the raven-colored tom told himself. Reluctantly, he heaved himself to his paws and followed Firepaw out into the center of camp.

Lionheart, Tigerclaw, and Bluestar were waiting for them near the thorn tunnel.

"Finally," Tigerclaw meowed. "What are you, a dormouse?"

Ravenpaw chose not to respond and firmly clamped his jaws shut.

Bluestar sighed. "Let's go." Without looking back, the blue-gray ThunderClan leader bounded through the torn tunnel. The rest of the patrol streaked after her.

"Where are we going?" Firepaw asked his mentor.

"Tallpines," Bluestar replied. The she-cat slowed to a trot to compensate for the apprentices' shorter legs. "There's been a lot of kittypet activity lately, and I want to check it out."

"It's about time," Tigerclaw muttered under his breath.

Lionheart, padding beside the broad-shouldered tabby, gave no sign of having heard his Clanmate's comment. The golden-furred deputy suggested, "Why don't we run? It'll help warm us up."

"Great idea," Firepaw mewed. He took off, the rest of the dawn patrol running after him. Bluestar and Lionheart streaked ahead of the ginger apprentice, their blue-gray and golden-brown pelts blurs in the trees. Ravenpaw lagged behind.

"Move, kittypet!" his mentor growled in his ear. When Ravenpaw's speed didn't increase immediately, Tigerclaw raised a paw to cuff him on the ear but caught his apprentice's eye instead. The black cat let out an involuntary hiss of pain, but quickly silenced it. "Good. Now, run."

Not wanting to provoke another attack, Ravenpaw moved even faster and crashed through Firepaw, Lionheart, and Bluestar and over the ThunderClan scent line.

Shaking the dust out of his fur, he froze when he heard a yowl from above him: "Hey, you!"

Ignoring Firepaw's warning hiss, he looked up. Standing on the fence was a tortoiseshell she-cat. Ravenpaw bristled and unsheathed his claws.

The fat kittypet only flicked her mottled tail. "Are you one of those forest cats?"

"Yes, he is," Tigerclaw meowed as he padded forward to stand beside the ThunderClan apprentice. He sank his long claws into the ground and glared up at the she-cat. "Get lost," he snarled.

Faced with two wild-looking angry Clan cats, the tortoiseshell, eyes wide, scrambled down the fence. A few heartbeats later, a startled yowl followed by a plop told the five ThunderClan cats that the kittypet had fallen into her garden.

"Come on," Tigerclaw ordered Ravenpaw with a snort of contempt and toss of his head. He turned and padded back to the patrol, Ravenpaw following with his tail dragging the ground.

"You go on ahead," Tigerclaw told the other cats. "I want to talk to my apprentice."

The ThunderClan leader and her deputy exchanged a glance; then Bluestar flicked her tail. "We'll see you back at camp," she meowed.

Firepaw shot Ravenpaw a sympathetic look before following his mentor and the Clan deputy. His tail lightly touched Ravenpaw's flank as he passed and murmured in the black tomcat's ear, "Good luck. You'll need it." Then the flame-colored apprentice trotted after his Clanmates.

When the other cats were out of eye- and earshot, Tigerclaw whirled on Ravenpaw, eyes narrowed, tail lashing, teeth bared in a snarl.

"What in StarClan's name were you thinking?" he hissed.

Ravenpaw forced himself to swallow, feeling the cold, hard lump of fear settle in his stomach. He stammered, "I, uh . . . well . . ."

Pain lanced his muzzle, and the skinny black tom felt blood well up in the scratches. He looked at his mentor in confusion and bewilderment, hurt and fear in his eyes. _What was that for?_

"Mouse-brained excuse for an apprentice!" Tigerclaw spat, lashing out with an unsheathed paw again.

Ravenpaw flinched and ducked. One though raced through his mind: _Why? Why is he doing this?_

When the dark brown tabby leaped for him, Ravenpaw dove under his belly, twisted, raked, and flipped over onto his paws. While Tigerclaw lay winded, the terrified tomcat sprinted for the ravine.

 _Because hell  
Hell is for children  
And you know that their little lives can become such a mess  
Hell  
Hell is for children  
And you shouldn't have to pay for your love with your bones and your flesh_

The rest of the Clan looked up from their various activities when Ravenpaw came barreling through the thorn tunnel. He skidded to a stop, sides heaving, eyes wild with terror.

Dustpaw, Sandpaw, and Graypaw leapt to their paws from where they were eating and hurried over to him.

"What happened?" Sandpaw and Dustpaw asked, eyes wide. Graypaw narrowed his yellow eyes and nudged him playfully. "You lose a fight with a rosebush?" he joked, flicking his gray tail.

After taking in Ravenpaw's horrified appearance, he fell silent, his eyes deadly serious.

"I wish," Ravenpaw replied, still panting from his dash through the forest. "Tigerclaw—"

He was interrupted by the Clan leader, her deputy, and her apprentice padding through the thorn tunnel. Firepaw let out a shocked yowl as he saw his friend's injuries. The flame-colored former kittypet leaped for Ravenpaw's side. "What in the name of StarClan happened to you?" he demanded. "And where's Tigerclaw?"

At his mentor's name, Ravenpaw recoiled, his white-tipped tail twitching. "Don't mention him," he hissed.

"Ravenpaw." His leader's soft mew made the abused apprentice look at her. "Come to my den. We'll talk there." She looked over Ravenpaw to the medicine den. "Spottedleaf!"

"Yes, Bluestar?" The entrance to the medicine den rustled and a graceful tortoiseshell padded out into the clearing.

"Meet me in my den, please. And bring herbs to treat Ravenpaw. He looks as if he's been in quite a fight."

"Of course." Spottedleaf dipped her head and started to go back to her den, but not before Ravenpaw noticed her green gaze flicker to Firepaw. Despite his ordeal, he had to suppress a purr of amusement. _So that's the way the prey's running._

Bluestar flicked her tail at Lionheart and Ravenpaw. "Come on." She padded to her den beneath Highrock, parted the lichen curtain, and settled herself on the floor of her cave. Her eyes glowed blue in the half-light.

When Ravenpaw had made himself comfortable, Spottedleaf began chewing up marigold leaves to put on his scratches.

"Ravenpaw, could you tell us what happened after we left you alone near Twolegplace?"

The young apprentice tensed up. Tigerclaw had told him before to say it was a rogue or aggressive kittypet if questioned about his sometimes-daily wounds, but he couldn't lie to his Clan leader. He sighed and told his Clanmates what had happened after they left.

Spottedleaf paused in dabbing cobwebs on the scratch on Ravenpaw's flank. She mewed quietly, "You shouldn't have to pay for your love with your bones and your flesh."

Ravenpaw looked at her askance, but the pretty medicine cat had busied herself with replacing the cobwebs with chewed-up marigold.

Bluestar and Lionheart's hackles had risen with horror as Ravenpaw narrated his tale, but as he finished, Bluestar let hers lie flat. The blue-gray she-cat meowed, "I'll keep Tigerclaw in the Clan for now—just to keep an eye on him," she added when Ravenpaw's mouth opened in protest.

Lionheart, who had been listening in silence, asked, "How long has this been going on?"

Ravenpaw chose not to answer.

"Tigerclaw's back!"

 _Mouse dung,_ Ravenpaw thought in despair.

 _No, hell is for children_

It would never end, would it?

 _Hell  
Hell is for hell  
Hell is for hell  
Hell is for children_

 _Hell  
Hell is for hell  
Hell is for hell  
Hell is for children_

 _Hell  
Hell is for hell  
Hell is for hell  
Hell is for children_

 _Hell is for children  
Hell is for children_


	7. I Love You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rating: K+
> 
> Genre: Angst
> 
> Character: Leafpool
> 
> Song: "I Love You" by Heart

_When the night has come  
And I'm all alone  
And I have some time to breathe  
So much damage done  
I guess nobody won  
Is it too late to make you see_

Moonlight lengthened shadows in the hollow where all of ThunderClan slept, except for one cat. Leafpool was on guard duty, keeping her eyes and ears open for any threat to the camp.

Now that everything was quiet, she finally had time alone to breathe and think. Seasons had passed, but Crowfeather still haunted her thoughts. She let out a heavy sigh. Leafpool had done so much damage, no one in her Clan really trusted her anymore, and Nightcloud, Crowfeather, and her own kits hated her. The light brown tabby scored a white paw through the earth, wondering if it was too late to make her former mate see . . .

 _I love you  
Oh darlin' yes I really do  
I love you  
Oh darlin' yes I really do_

Sorrow choked her. Leafpool still loved the smoky-gray blue-eyed WindClan warrior, but now it was too late.

 _I know very well  
How it got this way  
I was drifting on my cloud  
There isn't much to tell  
Except you've gone away  
Darlin' now I'm reaching out_

Her tail-tip flicked back and forth as she let out a contemptuous snort. Leafpool knew very well how she and Crowfeather got this way. The former medicine cat had been caught up in her duties ever since they had raced home—too late—to warn her Clanmates about the badger attack. She hadn't wanted to, but she broke off their relationship. And now Crowfeather cared nothing for her; he'd moved on. Now Leafpool was hoping to reach out to him, to recapture what they once had.

There was just one problem: she couldn't leave her post.

 _Well, I could always ask one of the other warriors,_ she contemplated.

Leafpool stiffened as she heard the underbrush rustle a fox-length outside camp. She tasted the air, then relaxed as prey-scent bathed her tongue. The earthy scent of rabbit reminded her of WindClan's moorland—and Crowfeather.

 _I love you  
Let me show you how I really do  
I love you  
Oh darlin' you gotta know it's true_

Memories of him filled her mind, the bittersweetness piercing her heart like a thorn. Leafpool wished he would let her show how much she still loved him.

 _Oh, darlin', you gotta know it's true,_ she thought, reaching out with her mind for Crowfeather. For a heartbeat, she wanted Jayfeather's power to walk in other cats' dreams.

 _I wish that I had you now  
The way that I had you then  
Darlin' I'd take you and hold you and kiss you  
Over and over again_

Leafpool fiercely wished that she had Crowfeather now the way that she'd had him then. She'd take him and hold him and they'd share tongues over and over again.

 _Maybe we can try  
To get back to that place  
When passion made us wild  
No more alibis  
Standing face to face  
You will see it in my eyes_

The former ThunderClan medicine cat stamped her white forepaws against the snow to warm them up and fluffed up her fur to protect herself from the night chill. With a flick of her tail, she decided to seek out Crowfeather the next morning. She wanted to return to that place when passion made them wild. _No more alibis._ Leafpool was sure that when they were standing face to face, he would see it in her eyes.

Content, she continued scanning the forest for danger, ignoring the anguish that pricked at her heart.

 _I love you  
Oh my darlin' yes you know it's true  
I love you  
Oh let me tell you how much I really do  
Oh darlin' you know I really do  
Oh darlin' yes I really do_


	8. Invincible

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Jayfeather, Lionblaze, and Dovepaw are discussing the threat from the Dark Forest . . . and two of them end up pointing something out - in song.
> 
> Song: "Invincible" by Pat Benatar
> 
> (And yes, it's the theme from _The Legend of Billie Jean_. Don't ask.)
> 
> A/N: Before you favorite or subscribe, could you PLEASE review? It's really annoying when I get an email saying someone favorited or subscibed, yet that same person couldn't find time to review!

_This bloody road remains a mystery  
This sudden darkness fills the air  
What are we waiting for?  
Won't anybody help us?  
What are we waiting for?  
We can't afford to be innocent  
Stand up and face the enemy  
It's a do or die situation—we will be invincible_

Dovepaw and Lionblaze watched anxiously as Jayfeather paced in his den, Briarlight scooting out of the way as quickly as she could with her broken backbone. Finally Lionblaze stopped his brother's pacing by blocking his way.

"Ooof!" Jayfeather, who had had his mind on other things, blundered into his littermate's side and tore out a chunk of loose fur. "What was that for?" he mewed crossly as he spat golden fur out of his mouth and onto the floor of the medicine den.

Lionblaze shot a glance at Briarlight, even though he knew Jayfeather wouldn't be able to see him. "We need to talk."

Jayfeather's blind blue eyes narrowed. "Follow me." With a flick of his striped tail, the gray tabby tom let the other two out into the forest.

While the Three made their way to a spot far enough from camp that no cat could hear them, Jayfeather was thinking about the bloody path that was facing the four warrior Clans. It was a mystery, the ThunderClan medicine cat thought, shaking his head. On top of that, the threat from the Dark Forest cats filled the air.

Jayfeather quickly cleared his head of such thoughts and sat down, facing Lionblaze and Dovepaw. "Well? What is it?"

Dovepaw kneaded her small gray paws into the snow. Jayfeather could feel her anxiety even before she blurted out, "What exactly are we waiting for?"

The blind gray tabby tom let out a sigh. "You know what we're waiting for," he told her. "We're waiting to see what the Dark Forest cats are up to."

"Won't anybody help us?" Dovepaw protested.

"StarClan has told me we must stand alone," Jayfeather meowed. "StarClan's divided into the four Clans we know here. You know that."

He heard the gray apprentice's tail lash mutinously. Before she could say anything, Lionblaze meowed, "What are we waiting for? We know what they're doing. Besides, we can't afford to be innocent. Stand up and face the enemy," the golden tabby tom encouraged. "It's a do or die situation—we will be invincible."

"Lionblaze, have you been listening to Pat Benatar again?"

"No. Why do you ask?"

"Forget it. I don't know why I even bother."

 _"This shattered dream you cannot justify  
We're gonna scream until we're satisfied  
What are we waiting for?  
We've got the right to be angry  
What are we running for when there's nowhere we can run to anymore?  
We can't afford to be innocent  
Stand up and face the enemy  
It's a do or die situation—we will be invincible  
And with the power of conviction there is no sacrifice  
It's a do or die situation—we will be invincible"_

"Dovepaw . . ." Jayfeather warned.

"What?" she meowed innocently.

"All right, I'm out of here," Jayfeather muttered, turning back to camp.

"She has a point," Lionblaze meowed.

"Just shut up." Jayfeather padded away from mentor and apprentice and back to the hollow. On the way there he couldn't help turning it over in his head. The Clan cats deserved to be angry—their own Clanmates were training against them! There wasn't even anywhere to run away from the impending threat. There wouldn't be any sacrifices with the power of conviction. ThunderClan had the Three, which could mean they were the only Clan to survive the upcoming fight between StarClan and the Dark Forest.

 _Won't anybody help us  
What are we waiting for when there's nowhere_

 _Nowhere we can run to anymore  
We can't afford to be innocent  
Stand up and face the enemy  
It's a do or die situation—we will be invincible  
We can't afford to be innocent  
Stand up and face the enemy  
It's a do or die situation—we will be invincible_

There wasn't anybody that could help them, Jayfeather remembered. Like he had said earlier, they were alone. The medicine cat still couldn't help wondering what they were waiting for when there was nowhere to run to anymore.

 _Lionblaze was right,_ he thought. _We can't afford to be innocent, but some of our own Clanmates, Ivypaw for one, are the enemy. How could any of us lift a claw against our own kin?_


	9. Secret

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pairing: LeafxCrow
> 
> Song: "Secret" by Heart
> 
> A/N: Please read and review before favoriting. You know the rest.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Warriors, this song, all rights reserved, yadda yadda yadda.

_We lead two different lives  
Just like two lines that never cross  
And here we are together  
Standing closer than we are  
But we're still standing here untouched  
Too scared to make a move  
We want so much to touch  
And we can't wait forever  
We know it's dangerous  
For us to be together_

Leafpool picked her way out of the brush down to the stream that marked the border with WindClan. Silver moonlight reflected off the rippling black water as she sat and waited, tasting the air for the scent of the cat she loved.

They led two different lives: she the ThunderClan medicine cat apprentice and he a WindClan warrior. Their love went against everything in the warrior code and the code of medicine cats, but it felt so right when she was with him.

The bushes on the WindClan side of the stream rustled and Crowfeather stepped out. He splashed through the stream, water droplets spinning off his fur as he hauled himself out on ThunderClan territory.

"I missed you," the dark gray tom murmured in Leafpool's ear. The light brown tabby she-cat shivered with delight. She was too scared to move, but she wanted so much to touch him. They couldn't wait forever, yet they knew it was dangerous for them to be together.

"I missed you, too," she replied, ignoring the little voice in her head. Instead, Leafpool twined her tail with his, breathing in his scent.

Suddenly she heard paw steps. "Go," she hissed. "Someone's coming."

Crowfeather drew back and fled safely to WindClan's woods. Leafpool didn't release the tension in her muscles until he was entirely out of sight. Then she turned and started padding back to camp, only to run into Squirrelflight a tree-length away.

"What's going on?" her sister meowed.

 _How do we ever keep this secret  
How do we keep it in the dark  
And if we dare to taste our weakness  
How could we tear ourselves apart  
Why do we keep this love together  
Didn't we know right from the start  
That we would have to keep this secret  
Or forever stay apart_

"What makes you say that?" Leafpool asked defensively, hoping she could keep her secret.

"Just the fact that you're out here alone by the WindClan border in the middle of the night," the dark ginger warrior replied sarcastically.

"I couldn't sleep," Leafpool lied, not wanting to meet her sister's green gaze.

"Oh." Squirrelflight was silent for a moment. "Well, come on then." She turned and padded away. Leafpool followed, wondering why she and Crowfeather kept their love together when they knew right from the start that they'd have to keep this secret or forever stay apart.

 _I watch you coming to me  
Walking in the pouring rain  
I can't help looking at you  
Wishing I could stay away  
So many times I've tried in vain  
To close my eyes and pray it goes away  
But I can't stop myself from feeling  
To let you go would be too much  
For me to take_

Water splashing on her ear woke Leafpool the next morning. Spitting, she leaped to her paws and shook the rainwater out of her coat.

The sound of her moving around brought Cinderpelt to the medicine den entrance. "Good, you're awake," the gray she-cat meowed. "We're running low on goldenrod. Do you think you could fetch some? I have to treat Brambleclaw's scratch."

"Of course." Leafpool rolled her amber eyes, but inside she was hoping to meet Crowfeather. She bounded across camp and through the gorse barrier, loping through the rain-soaked forest to the clump of goldenrod on the WindClan border. The light brown tabby bent her head to pick a few stalks and froze as she saw a dark gray shape at the edge of her vision. She looked up to see Crowfeather padding toward her in the pouring rain. Leafpool couldn't help looking at him, wishing she could stay away from this lithe warrior who walked in her dreams. She'd tried so many times to close her eyes and pray it went away, but it was all in vain. Leafpool couldn't stop herself from feeling to let him go would be too much for her to handle.

 _How do we ever keep this secret  
How do we keep it in the dark  
And if we dare to taste our weakness  
How could we tear ourselves apart  
Why do we keep this love together  
Didn't we know right from the start  
That we would have to keep this secret  
Or forever stay apart_

Again, Leafpool wondered how they would ever keep their secret, how they'd keep it in the dark. If they dared to taste their weakness, how could they tear themselves apart?

She wondered aloud, "Why do we keep this love together? Didn't we know right from the start that we would have to keep this secret or forever stay apart?"

"Yes, we did," Crowfeather meowed from across the stream, reminding Leafpool that he was there. "What are you doing here?"

"Replenishing our goldenrod supply," Leafpool told him. "Now, what are you doing here?"

"What, you don't think I just came to see you?" the smoky-gray tom teased, a playful light in his blue eyes.

At Leafpool's head shake, he mewed, "No. I wish, but I'm on border patrol."

"Who are you talking to, Crowfeather?" came the voice of a WindClan warrior Leafpool recognized as Tornear. A heartbeat later, the tabby tom and the rest of the patrol—Webfoot and Whitetail—appeared.

 _Ooo I can't help thinking  
When I look into your eyes  
How much I need you  
It's so hard to hide_

"Just the ThunderClan medicine cat apprentice," Crowfeather replied smoothly, casting a swift glance at Leafpool. When she looked into his eyes, she couldn't help thinking how much she needed him. It was so hard to hide in front of the patrol, but she managed.

Webfoot gave the two of them a suspicious look from narrowed eyes.

Crowfeather didn't seem to notice or care; he turned away from Leafpool and padded off. "Let's keep moving, shall we?"

Tornear let out a snort of amusement; Webfoot still looked suspicious but let it slide; and Whitetail shot Leafpool an apologetic glance as if to apologize for her Clanmates' behavior. Nonetheless, they all turned and followed the young warrior. Leafpool watched them go with a pang of sorrow. If she were WindClan, everything would be so much easier.

 _How do we ever keep this secret  
How do we keep it in the dark  
And if we dare to taste our weakness  
How could we tear ourselves apart  
How do we keep this love together  
Didn't we know right from the start  
That we would have to keep this secret  
Or forever stay apart_


	10. Stay For While

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pairing: LeafxCrow
> 
> Genre: Angst
> 
> Song: "Stay For Awhile" by Amy Grant

_Long time since I've seen your smile  
But when I close my eyes  
I remember (I remember)  
You were no more than a child  
But then so was I  
Young and tender_

The light brown tabby ThunderClan she-cat let out a heavy sigh, electing curious stares from a few of her Clanmates, but she didn't care. It had been a long time since she'd seen him, but when she closed her eyes the memories came drifting back. He had been a newly made warrior, and she'd just received her full medicine cat name.

Leafpool padded out of camp and into the forest, hardly caring where she ended up.

 _Time carries on  
I guess it always will  
But deep inside my heart  
Time stands still_

She guessed time would always carry on. Seasons passed from her meetings with Crowfeather, but deep inside her heart, time stood still. She stopped and realized that her paws had carried her to the WindClan border. Leafpool froze and started to turn back, but paused when a familiar scent wafted toward her on the breeze.

 _Crowfeather._

The lithe WindClan warrior appeared moments later, his long legs eating up the moorland. When he saw Leafpool, his stride faltered, then slowed. Crowfeather padded cautiously up to the border, hackles rising slowly. "What do you want?"

 _Stay for awhile  
Well, it's good to see your smile  
And I love your company  
Stay for awhile  
And remember the days gone by  
For a moment it can seem  
Just the way it used to be_

"What makes you think I want anything?" Leafpool retorted, sliding out her claws.

Her tail lashed angrily when Crowfeather's ears pricked up and he let out a mrrow of amusement. Leafpool's anger vanished as she took in his good attitude. It was good to see him like this, and she loved his company.

"Well, I'd better go," Crowfeather meowed, shooting a glance back at the moorland that lay through the trees.

"No, please don't," Leafpool mewed hastily, leaping the border stream. She landed easily next to him. "Stay for awhile and remember the days gone by."

"I'm sorry, but I can't." He sounded as if he really meant it. Before leaving, he touched his nose to Leafpool's. For a moment, it was the way it used to be between them. The sensation faded as Crowfeather turned away and trotted through the trees, breaking into a run as he reached open moorland.

 _Snowfalls, phone calls, broken hearts  
Clear summer days  
Warm and lazy  
Long walks, long talks after dark  
We vowed we'd never forget  
Now it's hazy_

Leafpool recalled the clear days in greenleaf when they would meet secretly. The two of them often had long talks, long walks after dark, moonlight turning her white chest and paws to silver flame and Crowfeather's dark gray pelt into another shadow. When tehy severed their ties with each other after the badger attack, they vowed they'd never forget. Now the memories were hazy.

 _Time takes its toll  
And time alters our view  
It would be nice to  
Spend some time with you_

The passing moons had taken their toll on the former medicine cat and the WindClan warrior. They had also altered their views. Crowfeather blamed her for not telling him about their kits before Hollyleaf did. _It would be nice to spend some time with you,_ she thought wistfully.

 _Oh stay for while  
Well, it's good to see your smile  
And I love your company  
(Oohh) Stay for awhile  
And remember the days gone by  
For a moment it can seem  
Just the way it used to be_

Leafpool leaped down from the tree-bridge and followed Squirrelflight across the pebbly shore to the center of the island. The Great Oak stod black against the miniature version of the lake, awashed in pale moonlight.

Almost immediately, her gaze was drawn to the gray-black figure of Crowfeather. The dark gray tom was talking with Tawnypelt of ShadowClan, letting out a mrrow of amusement at somthing the tortoiseshell she-cat was telling him. Leafpool padded over to the two of them and sat down. "What's so funny?"

Crowfeather started, and his lips briefly drew back in a snarl before he realized who it was. "Hi, Leafpool. Tawnypelt was just telling a joke."

Leafpool looked at the ShadowClan warrior, very aware of Crowfeather's presence next to her. "How does it go?"

"Well, a cat walks into a bar . . ." As Tawnypelt wrapped it up, the WindClan and ThunderClan warriors were on the floor, they were laughing so hard. The tortoiseshell looked perplexed. "It's not even that funny!" she protested, at curious glances from other cats. With a huff of air, she stalked off in search of Rowanclaw.

Meanwhile, Leafpool sobered up and rolled over so she was facing the dark gray tom. It was so good to see him like this, and it was the way it used to be.

A yowl ripped through the air, signaling that it was time for the Gathering to start. Leafpool's head jerked up to see her father, Firestar, standing on one of the branches of the Great Oak, Blackstar of ShadowClan, Onestar of WindClan, and Mistystar of RiverClan flanking him.

Crowfeather pulled away from Leafpool and padded over to his Clanmates. The brown tabby she-cat watched him go, her eyes clouded with loss.

 _Stay . . .  
(Please stay)  
Stay, stay, stay  
One, two, one, two . . ._

"Please stay," she whispered as she kept her amber eyes trained on him, not sure if he heard her. If he did, he didn't show it.

 _Stay for awhle  
Well, it's good to see your smile  
And I love your company  
(Oohhh) Stay for awhile  
And remember the days gone by  
Just the way it used to be_

The rest of the Gathering was a blur to the former medicine cat. She remained glued to Crowfeather, tearing her gaze away only when his ear twitched as if he sensed someone watching him.

When the Gathering was over, Leafpool padded over to teh dark gray tom. She murmured in his ear, "I need to tell you something."

With a sigh, he rose to his paws and lolled her to the other side of a clump of bushes. Once they were out of sight, the WindClan warrior grumbled, "What do you want?"

When she didn't reply immediately, he started to leave.

"Crowfeather, wait!" Leafpool meowed, reaching out with her tail.

Like an idiot, he stopped. He couldn't help showing his irritation in a wordless snarl. "What? he snapped.

 _"Stay for awhile  
Oh, it's good to see your smile  
And I love your company  
Won't you stay with me for awhile  
And remember the days gone by  
For a moment it can seem  
Just the way it used to be"_

Crowfeather's angry demeanor faded, a wistful look in his blue eyes. "I -," he began.

"Crowfeather!" The yowl came from Ashfoot, the WindClan deputy. "Where are you?"

The dark gray tom shot a desperate glance at Leafpool. "I have to go. I'll see you later?"

"Yeah, sure," she replied, a mournful look in her eyes as he bounded over to his mother and padded out of sight.

 _(The way it used to be. Be . . .  
The way it used to be, ooohhh, aaahhhh, oooohhhhh  
Now, now, now, now, now . . . Yaahhh . . .)_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case anyone's wondering, here's the riddle that Tawnypelt told:
> 
> A man walks into a bar and asks the bartender for a glass of water. The man behind the bar bends down, comes back up, and points a rifle at his head. The man asking for a glass of water says thanks and walks out. Why?
> 
> (Of course, I had to change it to cats, but still . . .) First one to answer gets a Leafpool plushie.


	11. The Night I Called the Clan Leader Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Squirrelflight learns a lesson she won't forget in a hurry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song: "The Night I Called the Old Man Out" by Garth Brooks

_The dining room fell silent  
I can't believe what I just said  
I just told my dad he's full of it  
And I watched his face turn red  
And I should've said, "I'm sorry"  
But I matched him shout for shout  
I can still hear that screen door slammin'  
The night I called him out_

A deathly silence fell over the ThunderClan camp. Squirrelflight couldn't believe what she'd just said. The dark ginger warrior had just told Firestar—the Clan leader, her father—that he was full of it, and now the skin under his flaming ginger fur was probably red-hot with anger.

"What did you say?" he hissed.

Squirrelflight knew she should say she was sorry, but she couldn't bring herself to. Instead she meowed, "You heard me."

Her father's green eyes blazed. He yowled, "You had no right to say that! Just who do you think you are?"

"Your daughter," Squirrelflight retorted, goading him on with narrowed eyes that were the same exact shade of green as Firestar's.

The flame-colored ThunderClan leader growled deep in his throat.

Squirrelflight gulped. She'd never seen him this mad before. The dark ginger she-cat heard Berrynose stage-whisper gleefully, "She's in for it now," as she followed him out into the forest.

Leafpool, Squirrelflight's sister, boxed the cream-colored tom around the ears and hissed, "Shut up."

 _He said, "Son, it's gonna hurt me more than it hurts you"  
But somehow I couldn't help but have my doubts  
'Cause I'd seen my older brothers crawl back in the house  
Each time they called the old man out_

Firestar meowed, "Squirrelflight, it's gonna hurt me more than it hurts you."

Somehow Squirrelflight couldn't help but have her doubts. She'd seen some of her Clanmates crawl back into camp each time they called the ThunderClan leader out.

 _Fist to fist and eye to eye  
Standin' toe to toe  
He would've let me walk away  
But I just would not let it go  
Years of my frustration  
Had lead me to this night  
Now he'll pay for all the times that he's been right_

The two ginger ThunderClan cats stood eye to eye, paws planted into the ground. Firestar would have let his headstrong daughter walk away, but Squirrelflight just wouldn't let it go. Seasons of frustration with the flame-colored tom had led her to this night. Squirrelflight bared her teeth in a snarl and lashed her bushy tail. _Now he'll pay for all the times that he's been right_ , she thought, snapping her teeth as if about to bite into a juicy piece of fresh-kill.

 _He said, "Son, it's gonna hurt me more than it hurts you"  
But somehow I couldn't help but have my doubts  
'Cause I'd seen my older brothers crawl back in the house  
Each time they called the old man out_

"For the last time, Squirrelfight," her father told her, "it's gonna hurt me more than you. I don't want to fight you."

"You rarely fight anymore!" Squirrelflight complained.

Firestar's eyes gleamed. "You're sure about that, are you?" Before the orange she-cat could prepare to defend herself, the ginger tom pounced, bowling over his daughter.

Squirrelflight struggled to her paws and landed a couple of blows on his shoulder before leaping out of range.

"Very good. Dustpelt taught you well."

"And you had nothing to do with it?" she teased, darting in again.

 _It was over in a minute  
That's when I realized  
The blood came from my mouth and nose  
But the tears came from his eyes  
And in memory of that fateful night  
I know the greatest pain was his  
And I just pray someday I'm half the man he is_

Just as soon as the fight had started, it stopped. That was when Squirrelflight realized the blood came from her mouth, nose, and wounds, but the pain came from Firestar's eyes.

Right then and there, that fateful night Squirrelflight knew the greatest pain was his.

 _StarClan,_ she prayed, _let me someday be half the cat he is._

 _He said, "Son, it's gonna hurt me more than it hurts you"  
But somehow I couldn't help but have my doubts  
'Cause I'd seen my older brothers crawl back in the house  
Each time they called the old man out_

 _Just like my older brothers  
I crawled back in the house  
The night I called the old man out_

Firestar, panting, mewed, "I told you, but would you listen? Nooo, so you had to find out the hard way!"

Squirrelflight hung her head in resignation, and, just like some of her Clanmates, crawled back into camp the night she called the old Clan leader out.


	12. These Dreams

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song: "These Dreams" by Heart

_Spare a little candle  
Save some light for me  
Figures up ahead  
Moving in the trees  
White skin in linen  
Perfume on my wrist  
And the full moon that hangs over  
These dreams in the mist_

Leafpool stood in a moonlit forest, heavy mist swirling around the tree trunks. She could see starlit feline shapes flitting through the trees. Try as she might, she couldn't see who they were.

"Wait up!" she called, forcing her legs to move so she could catch up. Even though she knew she was dreaming, it felt so real.

 _Darkness on the edge  
Shadows where I stand  
I search for the time  
On a watch with no hands  
I want to see you clearly  
Come closer than this  
But all I remember  
Are the dreams in the mist_

The cats of StarClan faded, and the ThunderClan she-cat found herself back in familiar woods. Shadows wreathed around her paws, and she thought she saw a familiar gray-black shape in the trees a couple of fox-lengths ahead. It was Crowfeather, but something seemed different. He wasn't as clear-cut as he would have been in the real world.

"Crowfeather, come closer than this," she called out. "I want to see you clearly."

He only looked at her with sad blue eyes, then started to pad away. Leafpool leaped after him, only to crash to the ground midleap as a paw jabbed her in the side.

Her eyes flew open and found Berrynose was kicking her in the side with his hind legs as he dreamed. The pale tabby warrior let out a frustrated sigh as she saw weak sunlight creeping into the new warriors' den. It was time for the dawn patrol.

Leafpool rose from her nest and delicately picked her way through pools of bracken. Poking her head out, she saw Brambleclaw, the Clan deputy, was already organizing the patrol. He saw her and meowed, "Hey, Leafpool, want to go on dawn patrol?"

"Sure," she replied as she padded over.

They were soon off. While Leafpool walked behind Brackenfur, she tried to remember her dream. All she could recall was mist.

 _These dreams go on when I close my eyes  
Every second of the night I live another life  
These dreams that sleep when it's cold outside  
Every moment I'm awake the further I'm away_

She'd been having the same dream for at least a moon, only to have it fade away when the nights were cold. In every dream, Crowfeather appeared, and every time Leafpool struggled in vain to reach him. Every moment she spent awake she could feel it slipping away.

It was with relief she curled up in her nest when the moon rose above the hollow. Soon the waking world faded and she opened her amber eyes on a dream.

 _Is it cloak 'n' dagger  
Could it be spring or fall  
I walk without a cut  
Through a stained glass wall  
Weaker in my eyesight  
The candle in my grip  
And words that have no form  
Are falling from my lips_

Leafpool's heart sank when she found herself in lush forest. The air was cool, with a hint of warmth, and the she-cat wondered vaguely if it was newleaf or leaf-fall. She walked forward, every muscle tensed, ready to flee or fight if she had to.

A light shone through the trees, glowing brighter as she neared it, yet growing weaker in her eyesight at the same time. The pale tabby warrior walked straight through a sudden thickness in the air and emerged without a single scratch. Leafpool noticed how odd that was in a rather detached way, as if it happened to some other cat. She became aware of words pouring out of her, but didn't quite understand what she was meowing about.

 _These dreams go on when I close my eyes  
Every second of the night I live another life  
These dreams that sleep when it's cold outside  
Every moment I'm awake the further I'm away_

 _There's something out there  
I can't resist  
I need to hide away from the pain  
There's something out there  
I can't resist_

Out of the corner of her eye, Leafpool caught sight of some creature creeping up on her. She turned tail and ran without trying to identify it. The brown tabby warrior had to hide away from the pain revealing her secret had brought.

She only slowed when she couldn't run anymore.

 _The sweetest song is silence  
That I've ever heard  
Funny how your feet  
In dreams never touch the earth  
In a wood full of princes  
Freedom is a kiss  
But the prince hides his face  
From dreams in the mist_

Suddenly, Leafpool noticed that the forest was silent, absolutely devoid of any noise, but it was the sweetest song she'd ever heard. Yet another situation reminded her that she was dreaming: her paws weren't touching the forest floor.

 _Huh. Funny how your feet in dreams never touch the earth,_ Leafpool mused. A sudden rustling of bracken caused her to spin around, pelt bristling. She relaxed as her former mate stepped forward, but there was something odd going on. The dark gray, blue-eyed WindClan warrior was shrouded in swirling tendrils of mist.

"Crowfeather . . ." Leafpool whispered, padding towards him. Something glinted in his eyes, some emotion she couldn't make out. As she came closer, she realized it was hunger. _Why would he—_

Then the tomcat stepped out of the mist, causing Leafpool to gasp in horror. It wasn't Crowfeather at all, but Hawkfrost.

The light brown tabby was suddenly bowled over by an invisible force, causing her to wake up with a terrified screech.

 _These dreams go on when I close my eyes  
Every second of the night I live another life  
These dreams that sleep when it's cold outside  
Every moment I'm awake the further I'm away_

Heads shot up from the bodies of sleeping cats, eyes staring around wildly. Finally, every cats' gaze rested on Leafpool.

"What happened?" Squirrelfight asked her sister.

"Nightmare," Leafpool panted. Already the details were fading away.

"It's okay, everyone," Squirrelflight told every other warrior. "Go back to sleep."

Grumbling, the other warriors did as the dark ginger she-cat directed. Sighing heavily, Leafpool closed her amber eyes and drifted back into sleep. This time, she didn't dream of anything at all.

 _These dreams go on when I close my eyes  
Every second of the night I live another life  
These dreams that sleep when it's cold outside  
Every moment I'm awake the further I'm away_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if it seems odd, but it is a dream, after all. And I had to make it fit the song, so . . .
> 
> Anyway, please let me know what you think.


	13. Treat Me Right

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Squirrelflight only wants Brambleclaw to make up his mind. Now, how does she do that? In song, of course. Oh, and the entire Clan is watching.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song: "Treat Me Right" by Pat Benatar
> 
> Disclaimer: Disclaimed. I do not own Warriors or this song.

_Squirrelfight's fluffy ginger tail lashed the_ air as she faced her former mate. Brambleclaw's neck fur was bristling, but his amber eyes looked bewildered. The dark brown tabby tom meowed, "Squirrelflight, I'm sorry. Please come back."

Before she could growl a reply, her father's voice sounded from Highledge: "Brambleclaw!"

ThunderClan's deputy cast a glance at Squirrelfight, eyes pleading with her to stay, and padded over to the flame-colored tom. "Yes, Firestar?"

"We need to talk about the threat from ShadowClan," the ThunderClan leader meowed, but was interrupted by Squirrelflight's furious yowl of, "Brambleclaw, get over here!"

From where she was watching her former mate and father, Squirrelflight saw Firestar's green eyes glint with amusement as he meowed, "You'd better go to her, Brambleclaw. You know how she is."

 _No, really?_ Squirrelflight thought sarcastically. Her lip curled in the beginning of a snarl as Brambleclaw jumped down from Highledge and trotted over to her, neck fur bristling. The dark ginger she-cat felt hr hackles rise as she spat out:

 _"You want me to leave, you want me to stay  
You ask me to come back, you turn and walk away  
You wanna be lovers, and you wanna be friends  
I'm losing my patience and you're nearin' the end  
One of these days you're gonna reach out and find  
The one that you count on has left you behind  
Don't want to be no martyr, I know I'm no saint  
Oh my, my baby, before it's too late_

 _Treat me right  
Treat me right  
Open your eyes, maybe you'll see the light"_

The dark brown tabby tom's amber eyes blinked in confusion. "Squirrelfight—"

"Why don't you listen to her, mouse-brain?" some cat called. Squirrelflight thought it was Spiderleg. Tail lashing, she started prowling in a circle around the ThunderClan deputy. He meowed, "Don't be a fool—"

She cut him off by slapping her tail over his mouth.

 _"Do you think I'm a fool, well you better think twice  
I've had enough, baby, it's time you realized  
That you can't have it both ways, it's no way to live  
You've done all the takin', it's your turn to give_

 _One of these days you're gonna reach out and find  
The one that you count on has left you behind  
Don't want to be no martyr, I know I'm no saint  
Oh my, my baby, before it's too late_

 _Treat me right  
Treat me right  
Open your eyes, maybe you'll see the light  
Oh, treat me right"_

"Squirrelflight, of course I don't think you're a fool," Brambleclaw tried to assure her. The ginger she-cat stepped back as his tail brushed across her shoulder. She hissed, "Make up your mind. Either you still care for me, or you don't."

"What?"

 _"You want me to leave, you want me to stay  
You ask me to come back, you turn and walk away  
You wanna be lovers, and you wanna be friends  
I'm losing my patience, and you're nearin' the end"_

"Oh, really? Any last requests?"

Squirrelflight glared at him before continuing:

 _"Treat me right  
Treat me right  
Open your eyes, maybe you'll see the light  
Ooh, treat me right_

 _Treat me right—treat me right  
Treat me right—treat me right  
Treat me right—treat me right  
Treat me right  
Treat me right"_

"You go, Squirrelflight!" Ivypool meowed. When the entire Clan stared at her, the silver-and-white tabby she-cat mewed defensively, "What, she shouldn't stand up for herself? She has a point!"

"Ivypool's right," Dovewing supported her sister.

Looking into Brambleclaw's amber eyes, Squirrelflight saw her own amusement reflected there. She let out a mrrow of laughter, but clamped her jaws shut when the dark tabby mewed quietly, "Come with me. We need to talk."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was listening to this song on my mom's Pat Benatar CD and, naturally, my thoughts turned to Squirrelflight and Brambleclaw, and how she would have felt about how he's treating her throughout the series. This takes place during OotS, though.


	14. Under the Sky

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: If only.
> 
> Song: "Under the Sky" by Heart
> 
> I was listening to this for the first time last year, and it reminded me of when Leafpool and Crowfeather ran away in _Twilight_. So I finally wrote a fic to it. Here you go.

_Leafpool crept through the undergrowth, feeling_ burrs snag on her pelt. Nervousness and anticipation zinged her nerves as she pictured Crowfeather: his dark gray pelt, smoky blue eyes . . . Soon she would be able to see him.

The ThunderClan medicine cat pushed her way through the last fronds of bracken and found herself at the stream that marked the border between ThunderClan and WindClan. She felt a pang of disappointment as she tasted the air: Crowfeather wasn't here.

Leafpool started to turn away but stopped when a startled yowl ripped through the trees, followed by a splash. Her head jerked around and she had to hold in a mrrow of laughter as Crowfeather pulled himself out of the stream, hissing and spitting. She commented, "You look like a drowned rat."

"Gee, thanks," the WindClan warrior muttered. "This has not been my best day."

Letting out a sympathetic murmur, Leafpool pressed her dry pelt to his drenched one and started licking his fur dry. When she was finished, she told him:

 _"What a day you had today  
It took your smile away  
I think we ought to get away  
Let's run away"_

"Leafpool, I don't know if we should."

"We'll never be able to be together unless we leave the Clans, Crowfeather. You know that."

"I just—" He was cut off by the light brown tabby pleading with him:

 _"Take me out under the sky  
Counting diamonds all through the night  
And the moon in the morning light  
Out under the sky_

 _And it can happen any day  
Everything goes astray  
But the stars do us o.k.  
Let's run away"_

Relenting, Crowfeather touched his nose to Leafpool's and mewed, "You're right. Let's go." Turning, they padded side by side up along the border stream, the warriors of StarClan shining down from the white glory of Silverpelt.

 _Hey hey hey yeah yeah—out under the sky  
Hey hey hey yeah yeah—out under the sky  
Hey hey hey yeah yeah—out under the sky_

The two of them veered away from the stream once they were near the Moonpool and headed out across open moorland. Even though it was nearly moonhigh, neither Clan cat felt tired.

Suddenly, Crowfeather stopped dead. Leafpool kept going for a couple of mouse-lengths before returning to the dark gray tom's side. "What is it?"

"It's—well . . . Are you sure we're doing the right thing? Our Clans—"

Leafpool reassured him:

 _"It's all right, let it go  
Shake the world off your shoulders  
You have the perfect alibi  
Just because the world is wide  
Out under the sky"_

Relaxing, Crowfeather leaned against her. Leafpool purred as she absorbed the warmth of his body and felt her tail twining with his. She suggested, "Why don't we stop for the night?"

 _Hey hey hey yeah yeah—out under the sky  
Hey hey hey yeah yeah—out under the sky_

"That sounds good to me," Crowfeather replied. Together they curled up under a bush. As they drowsily started sharing tongues, Leafpool mewed:

 _"When all is said and done  
Darlin' we are the only ones  
There's only you and I  
Out under the sky  
Out under the sky  
Out under the sky"_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I kinda switched their roles around, but it's a female singer, so tough.


	15. Who Will You Run To

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song: "Who Will You Run To" by Heart
> 
> Please review before you favorite. Thank you.

_You're not sure what you want to do with your life  
but you sure don't want me in it  
Yeah you're sure the life you're living with me  
can't go on one single minute  
And there's a new one waiting outside this door  
and now it's time to begin it_

Nightcloud's tail lashed angrily as she paced in the center of the WindClan camp, hackles raised and a grown rumbling from her throat. The other cats had shrunk back from the furious black WindClan warrior, except Breezepelt and the object of her anger: Crowfeather.

Clearly, the dark gray tom didn't want either his mate or his WindClan son in his life even though it was obvious he wasn't sure what to do with it. Nightcloud knew Crowfeather was sure life with her couldn't go on one single moment. He never loved me, she thought bitterly as she stalked right up in the smoky gray tom's face.

 _You found a new world and you want to taste it  
But that world can turn cold and you better face it_

The night-colored she-cat hissed, "Go to her if you have to. See if I care."

"Really?" he asked warily, claws flexing in and out.

"Oh, sure. ThunderClan might not accept you though. You'd better face it if they don't."

 _Who will you run to when it all falls down  
Who's gonna pick your world up off of the ground  
Who's gonna take away the tears you cry  
Who's gonna love you baby as good as I_

Breezepelt slunk up beside his mother and taunted, "Who will you run to now, Crowfeather? Everyone know the reason you're so fast is because you keep running away!"

Nightcloud saw her mate's neck fur begin to bristle, fury gleaming in his blue eyes. She quickly shoved Breezepelt out of the way, muttering, "Stay out of this!"

"But—"

" _Go_ , Breezepelt."

"Fine." Shooting a hate-filled glance back at his father, the black tom stalked over to Heathertail.

The black WindClan she-cat thought, _Who's gonna love you baby as good as I?_

 _You won't know what it's like to live on your own  
You've always had me there beside you  
You think it's easy finding someone out there  
who's gonna care as much as I do  
What's gonna happen baby when you find out  
there's no one there to cry to_

He'd always had her their beside him; Crowfeather wouldn't know what it was like to live on his own. Aloud, Nightcloud meowed scathingly, "You think it's easy finding someone out there who's gonna care as much as I do."

"Well, yeah. Leafpool—"

She interrupted, "You know she's not gonna be there for you to cry to."

"How do you know that?" he spat.

 _You can tell the whole world how you're gonna make it  
You can follow your heart but what ya do when someone breaks it_

The black she-cat turned away and meowed, "Look, Crowfeather, either you can tell all four Clans how you're gonna make it. See if I care. You can follow your heart, but what are you going to do when someone breaks it?"

"It's a little late for that, don't you think?" he shot back sarcastically. Pushing past her, he pelted out of camp and away from his Clan. Nightcloud knew where he was going: ThunderClan and Leafpool. She didn't give a mouse-tail.

 _Who will you run to when it all falls down  
Who's gonna pick your world up off of the ground  
Who's gonna take away the tears you cry  
Who's gonna love you baby as good as I_

 _You found a new world and you want to taste it  
But that world can turn cold and you better face it_

 _Who will you run to when it all falls down  
Who's gonna pick your world up off of the ground  
Who's gonna take away the tears you cry  
Who's gonna love you baby as good as I_

 _Who will you run to when it all falls down  
Who's gonna pick your world up off of the ground  
Who's gonna take away the tears you cry  
Who's gonna love you baby as good as I_


	16. You Better Run

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song: "You Better Run" by Pat Benatar
> 
> Disclaimer: Oh, all the things I could do if I owned Warriors . . . *sigh* Since I don't, I have to settle for writing fanfiction.
> 
> Please REVIEW before favoriting.

_Golden sunlight dappled the leaves on_ the forest floor. Rushing water gurgled as it flowed through the trees. Bracken fronds rustled and parted as a water vole darted through, followed by a light brown tabby she-cat with a white chest and paws. "Got you!" She leaped, claws outstretched, and slammed her paws down. The vole had vanished. "Mouse dung!" the tabby cursed. She turned to go back to the hunting patrol, but froze as a familiar scent flooded her jaws. _Not now!_ She would never forgive him for the pain he caused, saying he didn't care for her and that his only loyalty was to his Clan.

The scent still hung in the air; there was the sound of water splashing as he waded through the border stream. His aroma wreathed around her, but she didn't give in. She tensed, ready to flee or fight. He murmured, "Leafpool . . ."

"What?" she snapped. "You know how bad you hurt me during the Gathering!"

"I only took her as my mate to prove my loyalty!"

"Yeah, right, Crowfeather," Leafpool meowed scathingly, shaking her head. Her lip curled in the beginning of a snarl as she blurted out:

 _"Whatcha tryin' a do to my heart  
Whatcha tryin' a do to my heart  
You go around tellin' lies  
And now you wanna compromise  
Whatcha tryin' a do to my heart"_

"What do you—"

Her amber eyes blazed.

 _"You better run, you better hide  
You better leave from my sight, yeah"_

Crowfeather nearly fell over his own paws as he scrambled away from the furious ThunderClan she-cat. He tried to reason with her, "Calm down, Leafpool. I never meant to hurt you!"

"Yeah, right," she snorted. Unsheathing her claws, she continued:

 _"Whatcha tryin' a do to my soul  
Whatcha tryin' a to my soul  
Well everything I had is yours  
And now I'm closin' all the doors  
Whatcha tryin' a do to my soul_

 _You better run, you better hide  
You better leave from my sight, yeah"_

The dark gray tom's ears flattened nervously and he seemed to shrink back. Hope flared in his blue eyes as Leafpool told him:

 _"I love you, oh, I love you so  
Can't you see it, don't you know  
I can't stand your alibis  
You're tellin' lies, you drive me wild, yeah"_

Her tail lashed the air and her claws dug into the ground, tearing up the grass. Crowfeather obviously didn't possess a scrap of intelligence because he moved forward until his pelt was brushing Leafpool's. The tabby she-cat's head felt as if it was filled with stars. Shaking it off, she reprimanded the WindClan warrior:

 _"I said what are you tryin' a do to my head  
Said whatcha tryin' a do to my head  
Well now I gotta draw the line  
Cause you ain't gonna take my mind  
What are you tryin' a do to my head_

 _You better run, you better hide  
You better leave from my sight_

 _You better run, you better hide  
You better leave from my sight"_

Teeth snapping, she herded him away, hissing, "Go, before a patrol comes!"

He splashed his way across, but looked back at the ThunderClan warrior. "I won't forget you," he called.

 _"I said yeah yeah  
I said go away and leave me alone  
I can't stand you no more"_

Sighing, the dark gray WindClan warrior hared away. Satisfied, Leafpool set off to rejoin the hunting patrol. Would she ever have something to tell Squirrelflight!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know what your thoughts on this story are. Favorite parts, anyone?


	17. Cruel Nights

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pairing: JayfeatherxHalf Moon (although Jayfeather is reffered to as Jay's Wing)
> 
> Genre: Angst
> 
> Rating: K+
> 
> Song: "Cruel Nights" by Heart
> 
> This is my first JayxHalf fic, so let me know what you think.

_Half Moon gazed up at the_ round moon that shone its light into the Cave of Pointed Stones. She dabbed a snowy-white paw into the pool of water, marveling how the moon never changed no matter how many times she disturbed the water's surface. Pain shot through her heart as she remembered Jay's Wing. Great Tribe of Endless Hunting, she missed him so much.

 _Every night without you is more than I can bear  
Moonlight can be torture  
When your love isn't there  
I see you in the shadows  
I can hear you in the wind  
I think of you and I can feel my world closing in  
I can't sleep I keep wishing I could touch you  
I'd be fine if I could make it through  
Through these_

 _Cruel nights  
Cruel nights  
Missing you nights  
What do I do nights  
Cruel nights without your love_

Moonlight was torture without the gray tabby tom's presence beside her. Shadows flickered where the moon didn't shine, and for a heartbeat she thought she saw his face in the dark. A slight breeze whispered through the Cave of Pointed Stones, and Half Moon thought she heard his voice calling out to her. The young white she-cat couldn't stop thinking about him.

Suddenly, she felt trapped. She couldn't stay in the cave for a heartbeat longer.

Half Moon raced blindly out of the cave, ignoring the curious glances of her Tribemates: Broken Shadow, Stone Song, Rising Moon, Owl Feather, Dove's Wing, Jagged Lightning, and others. The white Healer wished she could feel the brush of Jay's Wing's pelt against hers. She couldn't sleep at night; she was pining for him. Half Moon would be fine if she could make it through the cruel nights without his love—nights where she was always asking herself what she should do.

 _Counting every minute  
Every minute feels like days  
Feels like time is standing still since you've been away  
Always thought you'd stay forever  
Always thought that you'd be here  
Now it's been a lifetime since I've held you near  
Days crawl by, I keep wishing they'd be over  
But I know they're only leading me to  
To these_

 _Cruel nights  
Cruel nights  
Missing you nights  
What do I do nights_

Half Moon spent her time counting every moment until she could see Jay's Wing again, but every moment felt like days. To her, it felt like time had been standing still since he'd returned to his Clanmates by the lake. She'd always thought the gray tabby tom would stay forever, that he'd always be there. Now it had been countless seasons since she'd held him near.

Days crawled by; Half Moon kept wishing they'd be over. Yet at the same time she knew the days were only leading her to these cruel nights where she looked up at the stars and imagined Jay's Wing there with her.

 _Cruel nights without your love  
(Cruel nights) since we've been apart  
(Cruel nights) it's been tearing up my heart  
(What do I do nights) since you've ran away baby  
Cruel nights_

 _Oh I just can't get through another night  
Without you beside me (without you beside me)  
I need you beside me (I need you beside me)_

The nights were cruel to Half Moon when she didn't have Jayfeather/Jay's Wing's love—since they'd been apart. These cruel nights were tearing up the young white she-cat's heart. Her green eyes glowed in the moonlight as she gazed up at the stars, then at the ranks of starry cats surrounding her. She just couldn't get through another night without him beside her.

 _I can't sleep  
I keep wishing I could touch you  
I'd be fine if I could make it through  
Through these these cruel nights_

The green-eyed snow-colored she-cat couldn't sleep at night. She kept wishing she could once again have Jay's Wing beside her, with their tails twined and pelts brushing. Half Moon would be fine if she could only make it through these cruel nights.

 _Cruel nights  
Missing you nights baby  
What do I what do I do nights  
Cruel nights without your love_

 _(Cruel nights) it's been tearing me apart  
(Cruel nights) you're playing with my heart  
(Cruel nights) since you've been away  
(Cruel nights) whoa baby  
(Cruel nights) these cruel nights, these cruel cruel nights  
(Cruel nights) come on come on baby_


	18. Love Can Do

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pairing: LeafxCrow
> 
> Song: "Love Can Do" by Amy Grant
> 
> This probably isn't my best one. Just read it anyway and let me know what you think. Please.

_Crowfeather stood in the bushes near_ the border stream with ThunderClan, scenting the air for a patrol. Moonlight made the stream glitter, the darkness turning his dark gray pelt to another shadow. Suddenly, he scented a ThunderClan patrol. He took a deep breath. Yes! She was in it.

The ThunderClan border patrol, made up of Brambleclaw, Berrynose, Spiderleg, Sorreltail, and, yes, Leafpool, paused to scent the air.

Spiderleg's eyes opened wide. "Brambleclaw!" he hissed. "Fresh WindClan scent. Close by too."

"Well, this is the border," Leafpool pointed out. "And we're on the moonhigh patrol. WindClan's probably just came by."

"It wouldn't be that fresh," Brambleclaw argued. "Just check it, and then we can head back to camp."

It didn't take long. The others turned and headed back, but Leafpool lingered. "Crowfeather?" she whispered. "Show yourself."

Crowfeather stepped out from his hiding place and leaped the border. Leafpool jumped back as he almost landed on her.

"I knew it was you. Look, I'd better go." The pale tabby warrior turned and started to walk away. She didn't look back.

 _"Who can say  
Why she turned and walked away  
I can't see  
But she's gone away  
Sometimes love  
Means we have to stand and fight  
Everybody runs  
Everybody hides  
No, this ain't the movies  
Now it's flesh and blood  
This one thing I'm sure of_

 _"Hey, little girl running out so fast  
Gotta stay put for love to last  
Why you gotta say  
That love has gone away  
It's not like that  
Everybody hurts when the feelings fade  
If you want 'em back  
You know you gotta stay  
(No running) No running  
Love's coming back  
Like only love can do"_

Leafpool paused. "Crowfeather. . ."

He interrupted her:

 _"Love can do  
Things you never thought it could  
Mend a hurt so bad  
Make you feel so good  
Love's for fools  
Wise enough to take a chance  
Hear the music girl  
Let me see you dance  
No this ain't the movies  
Now it's give and take  
And it's your heart at stake"_

"Oh, Crowfeather." Leafpool took a step towards him, then immediately drew back, as if she wasn't sure if his offer was sincere.

Crowfeather took a step towards her. She turned tail and fled into the trees. He raced after her calling her name. "Leafpool, wait!"

She didn't slow down.

 _"Hey, little girl running out so fast  
Gotta stay put for love to last  
Why you gotta say  
That love has gone away?  
It's not like that"_

Leafpool slowed her pace and turned to face him, hackles bristling. "You're lucky I let you get this far without calling for a patrol. Now, get out!"

 _"Everybody hurts when the feelings fade  
If you want 'em back  
You know you gotta stay  
(No running) No running  
Love's coming back  
Like only love can do"_

Cautiously, Leafpool lowered her hackles. "What do you know about love?" she spat, clearly still hostile.

"Leafpool…" Crowfeather stepped towards her, inhaling her scent. Even though she was now a warrior, she still smelled of the medicine den-of the cat he loved. "Can't you see I still love you? Aren't you listening at all? Besides, I've lost you both you and Feathertail. I don't want to lose you again. I only took Nightcloud as my mate to prove I was loyal to WindClan in spite of running off with you!"

She opened her mouth to say something-probably a furious retort-but he didn't let her.

 _"Hey, little girl running so fast  
(Yeah, yeah)  
Looking for the love  
You're sure will last  
Why do you have to say it?  
Love has gone away  
It's not like that  
Love's not like that"_

"Crowfeather, don't you get that it's over between us?" Leafpool snarled. "You said yourself that I mean nothing to you. And our kits! Did you really mean what you said about them, too?"

He put his tail over her mouth to silence her. She immediately choked on a mouthful of fur.

 _"Everybody hurts when the feelings fade  
If you want 'em back  
You know you gotta stay  
(No running) No running  
Love's coming back  
Like only love can do_

 _Hey, little girl running out so fast  
Gotta stay put for love to last  
Why you gotta say  
That love has gone away  
It's not like that (no, no, no, no, no!)  
Everybody hurts when the feelings fade  
If you want 'em back  
You know you gotta stay  
(No running) No running  
Love's coming back _

_Hey, little girl running out so fast  
Gotta stay put for love to last  
Why you gotta say  
That love has gone away  
It's not like that (No? No!)  
Everybody hurts when the feelings fade  
If you want 'em back  
You know you gotta stay  
(No running) No running  
Love's coming back  
Coming back to stay"_

Leafpool finally let her fur lay all the way flat, but her claws remained unsheathed. She still looked suspicious, but as Crowfeather watched the suspicion faded and she padded forward.

They were interrupted by a yowl from Brambleclaw: "Leafpool! Are you coming this side of newleaf?"

She looked back at Crowfeather sorrowfully and bounded off, leaving the dark gray tom staring at the waving fronds of bracken in her wake.

 _Mouse dung._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, yeah, obviously really corny and not my best. I wasn't even sure if I should post it, then figured, "What the heck. Might as well."
> 
> Anyway, reviews are greatly appreciated. Favorites, anyone?


	19. What He Don't Know

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pairing: LeafxCrow
> 
> Song: "What He Don't Know" by Heart
> 
> Disclaimer: I, sadly, do not own Warriors or any of the songs used in this fanfic. Warriors belongs to Erin Hunter and the songs to their respective owners.

_He don't know that you've been coming around  
He don't know that we've been out of bounds  
The things we do are better left unsaid  
Cause you and me can never keep our heads_

Leafpool snuck a glance around the dark ThunderClan camp. Satisfied she was in the clear, she crept over to her nest beside the medicine cat's den and curled up, closing her eyes. She was glad her secret was safe—for now. Firestar and Cinderpelt didn't know—and couldn't find out—that Crowfeather had been coming around lately or that they'd been out of bounds and broken the warrior code and the medicine cat code. The things she and the dark gray tom did when they met up were better left unsaid.

The light brown tabby she-cat thought wryly, _We never could keep our heads._

 _What he don't know  
Will never hurt him  
What he don't know  
Is I have changed  
It's just a matter of time  
Till it all comes down down down  
Till he hears  
The stories going round round round  
What he don't know  
What he don't know_

After all, what the ThunderClan leader didn't know wouldn't hurt him. What Firestar also didn't know was that his firstborn daughter had changed. She had been so timid as a kit, but now, as a medicine cat, she had become more outgoing and bossy. Leafpool lashed her tail bitterly through the air as she reminded herself that it was just a matter of time until both her Clan leader and Crowfeather's heard the stories going around.

Onestar and Firestar would be furious that they'd broken the code.

 _What he don't know . . .,_ she reminded herself.

 _Baby I'm open to your every suggestion  
Nothing you ask is out of the question  
Things I wouldn't do ya got me doin'  
And oh what I wouldn't do for you_

 _What he don't know  
Will never hurt him  
What he don't know  
Is I have changed  
It's just a matter of time  
Till it all comes down down down  
Till he hears  
The stories going round round round  
What he don't know  
What he don't know_

The next night, she crept through the woods to meet Crowfeather on the WindClan border. He was already there, his dark gray pelt blending in with the darkness.

ThunderClan's medicine cat apprentice splashed through the stream to meet him. She purred as she drank in his scent, her tail twining with his. Even as her body relaxed, her mind strayed back to Firestar's behavior. Did he suspect?

Crowfeather stepped a pace back. He asked, "Leafpool, what's wrong?"

Her amber eyes met his blue ones. She meowed, "You don't think that Firestar and Onestar know, do you?"

"If they do, we'll find out what to do."

She let out a mrrow of bitter laughter. "Baby, I'm open to your every suggestion. Nothing you ask of me is out of the question."

After all, things she normally wouldn't do, he had her doing. There was nothing she wouldn't do for him. Leafpool told him as much and added, "What he don't know will never hurt him. Firestar doesn't know that I've changed."

"But, Leafpool," he mewed, "it's just a matter of time until either Onestar or Firestar hears the stories going around and until it all comes down."

"Like I said," she meowed stubbornly, "things I wouldn't do, ya got me doin'. And there's nothing I wouldn't do for you."

She could feel him surrendering to her. The smoky gray WindClan warrior pressed his pelt against hers again briefly before moving away and scraping out a nest. Already half-tired, she curled up with him under a large bush.

,em>What he don't know  
Will never hurt him  
What he don't know  
Is I have changed  
It's just a matter of time  
Till it all comes down down down  
Till he hears  
The stories going round round round

What he don't know  
What he don't know  
What he don't know


	20. Bleeding Love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pairing: AshxSquirrel, kinda
> 
> Song: "Bleeding Love" by Leona Lewis
> 
> Disclaimer: I, sadly, do not own Warriors or any of the songs used in this fanfic. Warriors belongs to Erin Hunter and the songs to their respective owners.

_Closed off from love  
I didn't need the pain  
Once or twice was enough  
And it was all in vain  
Time starts to pass  
Before you know it you're frozen_

 _Oooh . . ._

Ashfur scored a paw through the earth, his gray tail lashing as a picture of Squirrelflight flashed through his head. At almost the same moment, the gray-flecked tom tasted her sweet scent on the air as she prowled through the undergrowth in ThunderClan's new territory, searching for prey. He froze as she came into view, and he pressed back against fronds of bracken until they swallowed him up.

White-hot anger flashed through him. The ThunderClan warrior would never forgive the ginger she-cat for passing him over in favor of Brambleclaw as her mate. He didn't need the pain that came from loving another cat. Once or twice was enough, and it was all in vain. Yet time started to pass and before Ashfur knew it he was frozen in place every time he saw Squirrelflight.

 _But something happened  
For the very first time with you  
My heart melted to the ground  
Found something true  
And everyone's looking 'round  
Thinking I'm going crazy_

 _Oooh, yahhh . . ._

But something had happened for the very first time with her, he remembered. After Squirrelflight had grown apart from Brambleclaw, Ashfur had been there to help her pick up the pieces. Gradually, he'd realized he loved her, even though she wanted them to stay friends. How could the blue-eyed gray warrior do that when he'd found something true with the ginger warrior?

Everyone was looking around at him like was going crazy. Maybe he was, considering he'd tried to kill Firestar to make her feel his pain.

 _But I don't care what they say  
I'm in love with you  
They try to pull me away  
But they don't know the truth  
My heart's crippled by the vein  
That I keep on closing  
You cut me open and I_

 _Keep bleeding  
Keep, keep bleeding love  
I keep bleeding  
I keep, keep bleeding love  
Keep bleeding  
Keep, keep bleeding love  
You cut me open_

 _Oooh, oooh . . ._

The senior ThunderClan warrior didn't care what any of his Clanmates said; he was still in love with Squirrelflight, even if he resented her. They tried to pull him away, but none of them knew the truth—not even Squirrelflight's kits Jayfeather, Lionblaze, and Hollyleaf.

Ashfur crept out of the foliage and snapped his teeth together, as if he had just discovered a juicy bit of prey, in the direction he'd last seen Squirrelflight disappear to. After being hurt so bad, he had no idea how any of them failed to see the blood . . . It was like being cut open with stones every day.

 _Trying hard not to hear  
But they talk so loud  
Their piercing sounds fill my ears  
Trying to fill me with doubt  
Yet I know that their goal  
Is to keep me from falling_

 _Hey, yeah_

Back in camp, Ashfur tried to close his ears to the regular Clan gossip that came while sharing tongues after eating. It was so hard, since the hollow seemed full of his Clanmates' voices, they talked so loud. To him, it seemed that they were trying to fill him with doubt over the choices he'd made regarding his quarrel with Squirrelflight and her mate. Yet he knew that their goal was to keep him from falling and not being able to hunt with StarClan.

 _But nothing's greater  
Than the rush that comes with your embrace  
And in this world of loneliness  
I see your face  
Yet everyone around me  
Thinks that I'm going crazy  
Maybe, maybe_

Yet nothing was greater than the rush that came with her embrace. Ashfur wistfully recalled the feel of her thick fur brushing along his flank. He still loved her, even after all these seasons. In this world of emotional loneliness, he saw her face: those emerald-green eyes framed by soft ginger fur . . . Maybe he was going crazy after all, considering what he did to Firestar. But how they failed to see how much he was hurting . . .

 _But I don't care what they say  
I'm in love with you  
They try to pull me away  
But they don't know the truth  
My heart's crippled by the vein  
That I keep on closing  
You cut me open and I_

 _Keep bleeding  
Keep, keep bleeding love  
I keep bleeding  
I keep, keep bleeding love  
Keep bleeding  
Keep, keep bleeding love  
You cut me open_

 _And it's draining all of me  
Oh, they find it hard to believe  
I'll be wearing these scars  
For everyone to see_

A moon later, all of ThunderClan was left trying to flee the fire to the safety of the abandoned Twoleg nest after it broke into their camp. Through the flames, Ashfur could make out the shapes of the three littermates and their mother. Squirrelflight pushed a heavy branch through it to make a bridge for her kits to safety, but with her still weak from her injury, she wasn't going to be able to make it. The gray-flecked tom darted across to help her, seeing his chance for revenge.

At first Squirrelflight pleaded with him to help her push the log through. He did, but stayed in the middle of the log, blocking Hollyleaf, Lionblaze, and Jayfeather's escape route. Already he could taste victory. Then Squirrelflight's puzzled mew cut through the turmoil in his head: "Ashfur, what are you doing? They need to escape!"

The ThunderClan tomcat rounded on his Clanmate, letting all his pain from the seasons past loose on her. Finally he meowed, " _Upset_? I'm not _upset_. Do you have any idea how much pain you caused me? It was like being cut open every day, bleeding onto the stones. I don't see how any of you failed to see the blood . . ." His voice took on a distant tone, and his blue eyes—although he didn't know it—had a wild, glazed look to them.

Ashfur knew it was draining all of him, although his Clanmates would find it hard to believe. He was wearing these scars for all of them to see.

 _Especially_ Squirrelflight.

Whoever said revenge wasn't sweet?

 _I don't care what they say  
I'm in love with you  
They try to pull me away  
But they don't know the truth  
My heart's crippled by the pain  
That I keep all closed in  
You cut me open and I_

 _Keep bleeding  
Keep, keep bleeding love  
I keep bleeding  
I keep, keep bleeding love  
Keep bleeding  
Keep, keep bleeding love  
You cut me open and I  
Keep bleeding  
Keep, keep bleeding love_


	21. Wuthering Heights

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pairing: LeafxCrow
> 
> Song: "Wuthering Heights" by Kate Bush
> 
> Warnings: kinda a creepy take on Leaf/Crow, which normally isn't what I do
> 
> Disclaimer: I, sadly, do not own Warriors or any of the songs used in this fanfic. Warriors belongs to Erin Hunter and the songs to their respective owners.

_Out on the wiley, windy moors  
We'd roll and fall in green  
You had a temper, like my jealousy  
Too hot, too greedy  
How could you leave me  
When I needed to, possess you  
I hated you, I loved you too_

Leafpool stared wistfully out at WindClan's moorland from a hill in ThunderClan territory. Memories flashed through her mind from her meetings with Crowfeather. They'd roll and fall together out on windy, green, springy moors. The dark gray WindClan warrior had a temper like her jealousy: too hot, too greedy. Then he'd abandoned her at the Gathering when their only daughter announced their secret and the truth of her parentage.

She thought, _How could you leave me when I needed you?_ ThunderClan's former medicine cat needed to possess him. Lashing her brown-striped tail, Leafpool felt a rush of hatred for her former mate so strong it scared her. How could she feel like that when she loved him too? She never had stopped loving him, even after all these moons.

 _Bad dreams in the night  
They told me I was going to lose the fight  
Leave behind my Wuthering, Wuthering  
Wuthering Heights_

The light brown tabby she-cat had recently started having bad dreams in the night. They usually revolved around her Clanmates telling her she was going to lose the fight and leave behind her kits, Crowfeather, and her Clan.

She perked up and rose to her paws from her sitting position when she saw a lithe dark gray feline shape flit through the shadows made by the setting sun.

 _Heathcliff, it's me, I'm Cathy I've come home  
I'm so cold, let me in your window  
Heathcliff, it's me, I'm Cathy I've come home  
I'm so cold, let me in your window_

Leafpool started after him, then paused. She'd be in WindClan territory, but Crowfeather wouldn't hurt her. When she was with him, she was home.

A cold wind sprung up, ruffling her fur, and Leafpool made her decision. "Crowfeather, wait up!" she called.

He bolted without looking back at her, leaving her feeling empty and disappointed.

 _Oh it gets dark, it gets lonely  
On the other side from you  
I pine a lot, I find the lot  
Falls through without you  
I'm coming back love, cruel Heathcliff  
My one dream, my only master_

Sighing, she watched him go.

It was so dark, so lonely, on the other side of the border from him. She pined a lot and found the lot fell through without Crowfeather by her side. The light brown tabby made up her mind and followed. _I'm coming back, love, my one dream, my only master._

The dark gray WindClan warrior heard pawsteps coming after him and stopped. Turning, he found Leafpool walking toward him, looking almost like a StarClan warrior in the smoky fog.

 _Too long I roam in the night  
I'm coming back to his side to put it right  
I'm coming home to Wuthering, Wuthering  
Wuthering Heights_

The ThunderClan warrior had roamed too long in the night. Now she was coming back to his side to put it right. She was coming home to Crowfeather and what they'd once had.

Her amber eyes glinted with amusement when she found he couldn't stop looking at her. She flicked her tail under his nose and mewed, "What? You look like you've seen a ghost."

Another cold breeze sprung up, whipping loose scraps of moss and heather around the two cats. Leafpool shivered with cold and pressed up against Crowfeather's warm side.

 _Heathcliff, it's me, I'm Cathy I've come home  
I'm so cold let me in your window  
Heathcliff it's me I'm Cathy I've come home  
I'm so cold let me in your window_

This wasn't exactly how she expected their reunion to go, but it was working for her. That is, until Crowfeather pulled away, his blue eyes troubled. "You're not a StarClan cat, are you?"

"No, not yet. Crowfeather, it's me, Leafpool. I've come home." Shivering at yet another cold breeze, she added, "I'm so cold. Let me in your window."

He quickly stepped back even further, eyes wide with horror. "Great StarClan," he whispered.

"Crowfeather, what is it?" Leafpool asked, padding forward.

 _Oh let me have it, let me grab your soul away  
Oh let me have it, let me grab your soul away  
You know it's me, Cathy_

"I don't . . ." He shook his head, relaxing slightly as the tabby she-cat leaned into him. Again, he tensed as she murmured in his ear, "Oh, let me have it, let me grab your soul away. Please, Crowfeather. You know it's me, Leafpool."

Feeling trapped, he gave her ear a quick rasp with his tongue before vanishing into the mist and heading back to the WindClan camp. Leafpool watched him go before starting to head back to her own territory, the fog and mist quickly swallowing her up. Soon there was nothing showing where the two cats had been.

 _Heathcliff, it's me, I'm Cathy I've come home  
I'm so cold, let me in your window  
Heathcliff, it's me, I'm Cathy I've come home  
I'm so cold, let me in your window  
Heathcliff, it's me, I'm Cathy I've come home  
I'm so cold_


	22. Can You Feel the Love Tonight?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pairing: FirexSand
> 
> Song: "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" from The Lion King

_The sun was going down in_ the ThunderClan camp, and Fireheart, Sandstorm, Graystripe, and Ravenpaw were lying around after taking their share from the fresh-kill pile. Fireheart and Sandstorm were sharing tongues while Graystripe and Ravenpaw were quietly talking.

They stopped when the two ginger cats stood up and started padding towards the thorn tunnel. Neither Sandstorm nor the Clan deputy looked back.

Graystripe commented, "I can see what's happening," as he looked after his two friends.

"What?" Ravenpaw asked.

"And they don't have a clue!" the long-haired gray tom went on, ignoring the black-pelted loner.

"Who?" Graystripe's companion meowed, totally clueless.

"They'll fall in love and here's the bottom line," Graystripe continued, thoroughly not paying Ravenpaw any attention, "our trio's down to two."

"Oh," Ravenpaw meowed, comprehension dawning on him.

Graystripe flicked his tail irritably. "The sweet caress of twilight; there's magic in the air. And with all this romantic atmosphere, disaster's in the air!"

 _Can you feel the love tonight  
The peace the evening brings  
The world for once in perfect harmony  
With all its living things_

Out in ThunderClan's forest, Fireheart and Sandstorm had unknowingly set their paws for Sunningrocks. The Clan deputy didn't mind; all he cared about was that for once the four Clans of warrior cats were at peace—uneasy as it may be—and the forest flashing by under his paws, his pelt brushing Sandstorm's, the cat he loved.

It was funny how much peace the evening brought. Finally, the two ginger ThunderClan cats reached Sunningrocks and slowed down.

 _So many things to tell her  
But how to make her see  
The truth about my past  
Impossible  
She'd turn away from me_

Fireheart crouched down to take a drink from the river and, looking up, found his green gaze met Sandstorm's emerald one. He had to tell her how he felt about her, but how could the flame-colored tom make her see? She already knew the truth about his past, but it was impossible. She'd turn away from him.

 _He's holding back he's hiding  
But what I can't decide  
Why won't he be the king I know he is?  
The king I see inside_

Sandstorm met Fireheart's eyes. To her, they resembled green forest pools. The pale ginger she-cat knew he was holding back, hiding something. What it was, exactly, she couldn't decide.

Why couldn't he be the Clan leader she knew he was, the leader she saw inside, the one she'd fallen in love with?

 _Can you feel the love tonight?  
The peace the evening brings  
The world for once  
In perfect harmony  
With all its living things_

Suddenly, Sandstorm leaped back as Fireheart—the mouse-brain!—took a running start, a bramble tendril in his mouth, and jumped into the river. Frantically, she searched the flowing water for Fireheart's flaming ginger pelt. StarClan, let him be okay, she prayed to her warrior ancestors.

The ThunderClan warrior was so wrapped up in worry she failed to notice Fireheart creeping up on her from underwater until he exploded out and, wrapping his forepaws around her, pulled her into the shockingly icy water with him.

Gasping, the pale she-cat floundered in the water, paws groping for the riverbank. She reached it and hauled herself out, pale ginger coat drenched and shivering. Sandstorm glared at Fireheart, who had popped out of the water. "You okay, Sandstorm?" he mewed.

In response, she shoved him back in the river and took off before he could leap out. It wasn't long before he caught up with her, and, pelts brushing, tails twined, they made their way back toward camp.

 _Can you feel the love tonight?  
You needn't look too far  
Steeling through the night's uncertainties  
Love is where they are_

Back near the fresh-kill pile, Graystripe and his loner friend were slightly dozing. Ravenpaw jabbed the gray warrior in the side when he spotted Fireheart and Sandstorm coming back through the thorn tunnel.

Graystripe sputtered awake. "Whazzgoin' on?" His yellow eyes narrowed when he took in the two ginger warriors heading to the warriors' den. Fireheart's best friend meowed darkly, "And if he falls in love tonight, it can be assumed—"

"His carefree days with us are history," Ravenpaw interrupted. Graystripe nodded and the two toms lamented, "In short, our pal is doomed."

Neither of their friends noticed the two toms in misery. Fireheart fell asleep in his nest with Sandstorm's sweet scent in his nostrils, dead to what was going on in camp.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, just a bit of FirexSand fluff. And in case you couldn't tell, what Graystripe and Ravenpaw are saying are what Timon and Pumbaa say in the movie, as is the incident at Sunningrocks. (In case you're wondering, Ravenpaw's just there for a visit, not 'cuz anything's happening on the farm.) Hope you enjoyed and let me know what you think.


	23. In Another's Eyes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pairing: FirexSand
> 
> Song: "In Another's Eyes" by Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood

_**Firestar:** In another's eyes  
I'm someone who  
Loves her enough  
To walk away from you  
I'd never cheat  
And I would never lie  
In another's eyes_

Firestar, the leader of ThunderClan, was currently standing in ThunderClan territory, facing Spottedleaf, his old love. She had long since joined StarClan, since starlight sparkled at her paws and her fur was lined with frost. The tortoiseshell she-cat murmured, "Firestar, please . . ."

He shook his head. "I'm sorry, Spottedleaf, but I love Sandstorm too much to walk away from her. I'd never cheat on her." With that, he turned and walked away, opening his eyes to find his mate lying next to him in their den in the lake territory.

 _ **Sandstorm:** In another's eyes  
I can do no wrong  
And he believes in me  
And his faith is strong  
I'd never fall  
Or even compromise  
In another's eyes_

Sandstorm blinked open sleepy emerald-colored eyes and lifted her head to look at her mate. She could do no wrong, and best of all, she knew Firestar believed in her. The pale ginger she-cat knew his faith in her, his Clan, and StarClan was strong. She'd never fall for another cat or even compromise in another's eyes.

 _In another's eyes  
I'm afraid that I can't see  
This picture perfect portrait  
That they paint of me  
They don't realize  
And I pray they never do  
'Cause every time I look  
I'm seein' you  
In another's eyes_

Both of them were afraid that they couldn't see the picture perfect portrait that their Clanmates painted of them. Every cat made mistakes, and StarClan knew both the Clan leader and his mate had made more than enough of them when they were foolish apprentices and young warriors.

 _ **Firestar:** In another's eyes  
Starin' back at me  
I see a sinkin' soul  
Tryin' desperately  
 **Sandstorm:** To turn the tide  
Before it dies  
In another's eyes_

The flame-colored tom met Sandstorm's green eyes. In them, he could see his reflection: a lost soul trying desperately to turn the tide before it died. Well, that, and try to regain control of his Clan. With the Three, who knew what would happen.

Sandstorm's pale ginger tail gently brushed his flank; then he felt her tongue rasp against his ear. She murmured, "Everything will be all right, Firestar." The ginger she-cat prayed to StarClan that their Clanmates didn't realize how much she cared for him. Every time she looked she saw her mate in another cat's eyes.

 _And what they don't see  
Is killing me  
It's a blessing and a curse  
That love is blind  
'Cause in another's eyes  
I'm afraid that I can't see  
This picture perfect portrait  
That they paint of me  
And they don't realize  
And I pray to God they never do  
'Cause every time I look  
I'm seein' you  
In another's eyes_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, it's some more FireSand fluff. Hope you liked this and please review and let me know what you think. I love hearing your thoughts on my songfics and stories in general.
> 
> ~~ Brambleshadow


	24. Magic Man

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not, nor will I ever, own Warriors or any of the songs I use. I am merely borrowing them for our entertainment and (hopefully) putting them back unharmed.
> 
> Pairing: LeafxCrow
> 
> Song: "Magic Man" by Heart
> 
> A/N: Tags to _Starlight_ and _Twilight_. Please R &R. I love knowing what your thoughts are! This is also slightly AU.

_Cold late night so long ago  
When I was not so strong, you know  
A pretty man came to me  
I never seen eyes so blue  
You know, I could not run away it seemed  
We'd seen each other in a dream  
Seemed like he knew me, he looked right through me, yeah_

Leafpool scrabbled at the edge of the cliff with her front claws, desperately trying to secure her footing. Suddenly the light brown tabby felt teeth in her scruff pulling her to safety. Panting, she looked up in the cold night and saw dark gray fur with startlingly blue eyes. ThunderClan's medicine cat apprentice had never seen eyes so blue.

It seemed she couldn't run away. What made it even more mystical was that she'd seen her WindClan rescuer in a dream. "Crowfeather." The name forced its way from her throat.

He looked right through her. "Hello, Leafpool. Fancy meeting you here."

 _Come on home girl he said with a smile  
You don't have to love me yet, let's get high awhile  
But try to understand, try to understand  
Try try try to understand . . . I'm a magic man_

"Very funny," she mewed tartly.

Crowfeather only lifted his lips in what could pass for a smile. He meowed, "Come on home, girl. You don't have to love me yet; let's get high awhile."

High on what? Leafpool asked silently before following him. Surely her family and mentor would understand.

As if reading her thoughts, the dark gray WindClan warrior meowed, "Try to understand, try to understand I'm a—"

He was interrupted by Cloudtail pushing his way through the undergrowth, searching for the two ShadowClan cats that had nearly forced Leafpool over the edge. They had fallen over themselves and broken their necks. Luckily, the white warrior didn't notice them. As he passed by, both cats let out a sigh of relief.

"See you soon?" Crowfeather meowed.

"Sure," Leafpool replied, giving his ear a lick before watching him hare away into the trees.

 _Winter nights we sang in tune  
Played inside the months of moon  
Never think of never, let the spell last forever  
Well summer lover passed to fall  
Tried to realize it all  
Mama says she's worried, growing up in a hurry, yeah_

Every few nights after that for two moons, Leafpool would sneak out of camp to see Crowfeather. When they were together, she wouldn't let herself think of never being with him and try to let the spell last forever.

Before she knew it, greenleaf had become leaf-fall. The tabby tried to realize it all, but she couldn't. A sinking feeling rose in her stomach when Sandstrom called her aside one evening after the Clan had had their meal.

"Yes?" Leafpool asked the pale ginger she-cat, tail-tip twitching nervously.

"Leafpool, I'm worried about you. You're growing up much too soon," Sandstorm meowed. Suddenly she leaned closer and sniffed her daughter's pelt. "What's that scent?"

The medicine cat apprentice cursed silently. "Nothing," she replied quickly. "Probably some of the herbs I was mixing for Cinderpelt earlier."

"Mmm." Even so, Sandstorm's green eyes had a disbelieving glint. Leafpool didn't care; all she wanted to do right now was be with Crowfeather.

 _Come on home girl Mama cried on the phone  
Too soon to lose my baby yet my girl should be at home  
But try to understand, try to understand  
Try try try to understand he's a magic man Mama ah he's a magic man_

A half-moon later, the two lovers were by the WindClan border, enjoying each other's company, when they heard a rustle in the bushes behind them. Leafpool whipped around, tasting the air. ThunderClan scent bathed her tongue, and she snapped, "Okay, Squirrelflight, I know you're there. Come out!"

The bushes parted, and out stepped Sandstorm, not Leafpool's ginger sister.

"What are you doing here?" Leafpool hissed, glancing back at Crowfeather.

Her mother's green gaze was angry, yet calm at the same time. "You know why. Come on home, girl. It's too soon to lose my baby, yet you should be at home, in camp."

The medicine cat apprentice flexed her claws, tearing up tufts of grass. She countered, "Try to understand, try to understand, Mama, he's . . . well, the equivalent of a StarClan cat."

Sandstorm snorted, flicking her tail angrily, and stalked away. When she was sure she was gone, Leafpool stole a glance over her shoulder again at Crowfeather.

 _Come on home girl he said with a smile  
I cast my spell of love on you a woman from a child  
But try to understand, try to understand . . . oh oh  
Try try to understand  
Try try try to understand he's a magic man . . . oh yeah  
He's got the magic hands_

To her shock, he was smiling. "Come on home, girl," he meowed, "I cast my spell of love on you, a warrior from a kit." The dark gray tom stepped closer, his whiskers brushing her face. Leafpool sighed, enjoying the feel of his pelt brushing hers, the warmth seeping through, keeping her warm.

If any of their Clanmates saw them, she hoped they'd at least try to understand.

 _Come on home girl he said with a smile  
You don't have to love me yet let's get high awhile  
But try to understand, try to understand  
Try try try to understand he's a magic man, oh oh_


	25. Barracuda

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not, nor will I ever, own Warriors or any of the songs I use. I am merely borrowing them for our entertainment and (hopefully) putting them back unharmed.
> 
> Pairing: DovexTiger, kinda-ish
> 
> Song: "Barracuda" by Heart
> 
> Crack!Fic. (I think.) Just imagine the instrumental going on when Dovewing starts ranting at Tigerheart. =D Enjoy!

_The fluffy gray she-cat narrowed her_ golden eyes as she dropped into the hunter's crouch and began creeping up on a mouse. It scurried under a pile of dead leaves before the warrior even came close. Irritated, she sat back on her haunches and tasted the air, stretching out her senses so she would have a better image of what had disrupted her hunt.

ShadowClan scent bathed her tongue and the gray ThunderClan warrior stalked forward with an angry lash of her tail. "All right, Tigerheart," she snapped, "come on out. I know it's you."

A dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes stepped out from his hiding place. "Dovewing, how'd you know—"

Her eyes narrowed to slits as she interrupted:

 _"So this ain't the end—I saw you again today  
Had to turn my heart away  
You smiled like the Sun—kisses for everyone  
and tales—it never fails!"_

Tigerheart stopped dead, confusion written all over his face. "Uh, Dovewing, what in the name of StarClan are you talking about?"

She shrugged. "I don't really know. Just listen."

He did, albeit apprehensively.

 _"You lying so low in the weeds  
Bet you gonna ambush me  
You'd have me down on my knees  
Wouldn't you, Barracuda?"_

"What's a barracuda?"

Dovewing didn't have an answer for that, so she shrugged and continued:

 _"Back over Time when we were all trying for free  
Met up with porpoise and me  
No right no wrong you're selling a Song—a name  
whisper game"_

His quizzical expression asked "What in StarClan's name is she meowing about?"

She didn't have any idea what she was meowing about either, but it sounded good. Lashing her tail, she snarled:

 _"If the real thing don't do the trick  
You better make up something quick  
You're gonna burn it out to the wick  
aren't you, Barracuda?"_

Silence greeted her. Dovewing took that as a yes and belted out:

 _"'Sell me sell you' the porpoise said  
Dive down deep to save my head  
You . . . I think that you got the blues too_

 _All that night and all the next  
Swam without looking back  
Made for the western pools—silly silly fools!"_

The bewildered look on the ShadowClan tom's face was priceless, although the ThunderClan she-cat still didn't quite know what she meant. Still, she finished ranting with:

 _"If the real thing don't do the trick  
You better make up something quick  
You gonna burn it out to the wick  
aren't you, Barracuda?"_

Without waiting for a response—if Tigerheart was even capable of giving one—Dovewing stalked away in search of more prey, muttering all the while about mouse-brained toms.

When the gray she-cat was gone, Mapleshade appeared next to the dark brown tabby. Her amber eyes glimmered with amusement and she let out a rusty _mrrow_ of laughter. "That was brilliant, if I do say so myself," the Dark Forest she-cat mewoed, "Oh, and Tigerheart, a barracuda is a type of fish."

She winked out of sight before the tomcat could ask any more questions—like how she knew what a barracuda was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anyone else die of laughter when Mapleshade made her appearance? xD


	26. Never

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not, nor will I ever, own Warriors or any of the songs I use. I am merely borrowing them for our entertainment and (hopefully) putting them back unharmed.
> 
> Song: "Never" by Heart
> 
> I've always imagined this song from Leafpool's point of view when I've listened to it. I don't know why. Anyway, you're probably gonna want to listen to the song while reading. This takes place sometime during early PoT, I think.

_Leafpool padded along the WindClan border._ Moonlight reflected silver on the black stream. Her heart quickened when she saw a familiar dark gray pelt and blue eyes. Then she felt a rush of irritation. He wanted them to run away—again. Last time hadn't really worked, now, had it? Besides, Crowfeather already had a mate in WindClan. Shaking her head slightly, she trotted up to the border. "Long time, no see, Crowfeather." Her voice was frosty.

The WindClan tom shuffled his paws. "Yeah, about that. Leafpool, Nightcloud—"

 _"Hey baby I'm talking to you  
Stop yourself and listen  
Some things you can never never choose  
Even if you try, yeah  
You're bangin' your head again  
'Cause somebody won't let you in  
One chance . . . one love  
Your chance to let me know_

 _We can't go on  
Just running away  
If we stay any longer  
We will surely never get away  
Anything you want—we can make it happen  
Stand up and turn around  
Never let them shoot us down  
Never—Never  
Never—Never run away"_

The dark gray tom backed up, tail flicking side-to-side nervously. She was starting to freak him out, even if he was the one who wanted them to run away again. "Leafpool, I don't want any part of this. I—"

She interrupted:

 _"Hey baby you know it's true  
Why you bother lying when you know  
That you want it too  
Don't you dare deny me  
Walk those legs right over here  
Give me what I'm dying for  
One chance . . . one love  
Hold me down never let me go"_

"Uh . . ." Well, what else was he supposed to say to that?

 _"We can't go on  
Just running away  
If we wait any longer  
We will surely never get away  
Anything you want—we can make it happen  
Stand up and turn around  
Never let them shoot us down  
Never—Never  
Never—Never run away  
Never—Never  
Never—Never run away"_

Crowfeather had to admit there was truth in what she was saying. "Good point, but I don't know if we should just yet. I mean, there's our Clans and families and—"

She gave him a withering look and slapped her tail over his mouth.

 _"Hey baby I'm talking to you  
Stop yourself and listen  
Some things you can never choose  
Even if you try, yeah  
You're bangin' your head again  
'Cause somebody won't let you in  
One chance . . . one love  
Your chance to let me know_

 _We can't go on  
Just running away  
If we stay any longer  
We will surely never get away_

 _OO OO Never  
OO OO Never_

 _We can't go on Never  
We can't go on Never_

 _OO OO Never  
OO OO Never_

 _We can't go on Never  
We can't go on Never"_

"Are you done?" Crowfeather asked when she had removed her tail from his mouth.

Leafpool cocked her head, thinking. "Yeah, I think so," she decided.

"Good. See you later."

Before she could say anything, he bolted, tail streaming out behind him. The light brown tabby pelted after him, calling, "Wait up!"

Even though he had a fox-length's headstart, she caught up with the WindClan warrior. They ran together across the moor, StarClan's warriors watching over them. There was no going back now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, I know it's wildly OOC, but this is the only way I figured the song would work. Reviews, anyone?


	27. Allies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Is this even friggin' necessary?
> 
> Song: "Allies" by Heart

_In troubled times  
It's hard to get straight answers  
Between the lines  
That border wrong or right  
The homeland cries  
It struggles with confusion  
But this feeling still remains  
Like shelter from the rain_

Jayfeather scored a gray paw through the grass outside his den, feeling frustrated with StarClan. His warrior ancestors weren't giving him straight answers about the situation with the Dark Forest—although the Three had their own information source. Ivypool was at risk every time she visited them, though, and the ThunderClan medicine cat wasn't entirely sure he trusted her.

"Would it kill StarClan to tell us what's going on?" he muttered.

"Probably," Lionblaze meowed as he padded up. The golden warrior sat beside his brother. "We don't know how many of our Clanmates are training in the Dark Forest, remember."

"I hate this," the blind gray tabby tom muttered. And yet, there was a feeling that remained like shelter from the rain.

"Don't I know it," grumbled Dovewing from the other side of Jayfeather.

He jumped. "For StarClan's sake, don't sneak up on me like that!"

"Sorry," the gray she-cat apologized, "but I figured you'd hear or scent me."

Lionblaze snorted with laughter at the affronted look on Jayfeather's face. The medicine cat growled, "Shut up," before stretching out and laying on the ground.

 _We live of faith  
In the hands of those who guide us  
And tear the page  
On the fear we left behind  
We set the pace  
For every born survivor  
Don't turn the other way  
When I need to hear you say_

 _Allies with our backs against the wall  
I will answer when you call  
And take on the odds  
For what we believe is true  
Allies in a world of too much choice  
I only need your voice  
To tell me you care  
I'll be anywhere for you, allies_

All four of the warrior cat Clans lived by faith in the warrior code and the paws of those that guided them—hopefully StarClan rather than the rising Dark Forest. They also tore the page on the fears left behind, setting the pace for the next generation.

Jayfeather wished he could have Brightspirit, Half Moon, or Spottedleaf with him right now. He'd be anywhere or do anything for the three she-cats. They were allies, anyway.

"Hey, Jayfeather," Dovewing meowed, flicking his flank with her tail, "have you heard from StarClan lately?"

He bit back a snarl of irritation. "No, not yet. They're _StarClan_ ; they don't come when summoned."

"Oh." Her mew was small.

 _We search our hearts  
To justify the reason  
And draw the line  
To meet somewhere halfway  
If faith is blind  
Through darkness it will guide us  
'Cause the spirit still remains  
With the keepers of the flame_

"Yeah, _oh_ ," Jayfeather snapped before he choked on fur as Lionblaze whacked his tail over his brother's mouth. He spit it out, demanding, "What was that for?"

"Can we get back on topic here?" the golden tabby tom meowed. "Now, about Ivypool . . ."

Jayfeather tuned out again, lost in his own thoughts. There couldn't be any reason to justify turning cats against their own Clanmates, no matter how hard they speculated. So, the blind gray tabby decided to draw a line that met halfway. "We'll compromise."

"Huh?" the other two asked, tail-tips flicking in confusion.

He sat up. "I'll wait for a sign until sunhigh tomorrow. If there isn't one, I'll go to the Moonpool." No sense in giving them any more cause to worry. Faith would guide them through darkness—even if it was blind. The spirit, after all, lived on in all the Clan cats.

 _Allies with our backs against the wall  
I will answer when you call  
And take on the odds  
For what we believe is true  
Allies in a world of too much choice  
I only need your voice  
To tell me you care  
I'll be anywhere for you, allies_

That night, when the rest of ThunderClan was preparing to go to sleep, Jayfeather was wide awake. He couldn't sleep. Dreams were one way of how StarClan communicated with medicine cats, yet he would answer anytime they called—whether showing up in real life, dreams, or visions. That way, the Three could take on the odds for what they believed in. And hopefully survive.

 _Allies with our backs against the wall  
I will answer when you call  
And take on the odds  
For what we believe is true  
Allies in a world of too much choice  
I only need your voice  
To tell me you care  
I'll be anywhere for you, allies_


	28. Eye of the Tiger

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song: "Eye of the Tiger"

_Rising up—back on the street, did my time, took my chances  
Went the distance now I'm back on my feet  
Just a man and his will to survive  
So many times, it happens too fast  
You trade your passion for glory  
Don't lose your grip on the dreams of the past  
You must fight just to keep them alive_

Tigerstar paced the shadowy clearing, tail-tip twitching, ignoring the murmurs of his Dark Forest Clanmates. One of his ears flicked toward the group of living Clan cats, Breezepelt among them. If only Brambleclaw had killed Firestar when he'd had the chance . . . Growling, he snapped his teeth together. It didn't matter; he now had his own army who would easily defeat their enemies. They had all traded their loyalty to their Clan, StarClan, and the warrior code for their own glory, ambition, and power. The former ShadowClan leader still nursed his dream of killing Firestar and controlling all four Clans by the lake—and he _was_ going to see it happen.

 _It's the Eye of the Tiger, it's the thrill of the fight  
Rising up to the challenge of our rival  
And the last known survivor stalks his prey in the night  
And he's watching us all with the Eye of the Tiger_

"Tigerstar . . ." Hawkfrost began, taking a step forward.

His father whirled on him, teeth bared. "Shut up!" he snarled. "I'm trying to think."

Thistleclaw, his former mentor, stepped forward, his spiky gray-and-white pelt almost glowing in the sickly green light that came from the forest itself. "Time for another training session," he ordered. "Mentor against apprentice."

A few cats grumbled, but otherwise squared off. Ivypool wasn't there, so Breezepelt was sparring with Hawkfrost instead.

After a few heartbeats, Thistleclaw ordered, "Begin," and sat beside Tigerstar on a large boulder from where they could oversee the training session. Teeth and claws glinted as they caught light, eyes gleaming with blood-hunger. The two tomcats watched expressionlessly from above, eyes cold and calculating.

 _"Face to face—out in the heat, hangin' tough, stayin' hungry  
They stack the odds still we take to the street  
For the kill, with the skill to survive—"_

Startled, Thistleclaw almost fell off the boulder. Regaining his balance, he hissed, "Tigerstar, _what_ do you think you're doing?"

The massive dark brown tabby shrugged and flexed his long claws—claws that had given him his warrior name. "It fits perfectly. I don't really know exactly what I'm doing, but stick with me, here. You can join in if you want."

All fighting beneath them stilled as the cats looked up at their leaders. Mapleshade stuck her head out from behind a tree, saw what was going on, and retreated, muttering, "I can't believe this. Those two are going to be the death of me. I don't care if I'm already dead or not."

Thistleclaw wasn't sure right now if they were trying to recruit more cats or scare them off, but he went along with his old appearance. He was actually liking this a tiny bit as they did the chorus.

 _"It's the Eye of the Tiger, it's the thrill of the fight  
Rising up to the challenge of our rival  
And the last known survivor stalks his prey in the night  
And he's watching us all with the Eye of the Tiger"_

The spiky-furred former ThunderClan warrior jumped down from the boulder and noticed every cat staring. "Well?" he snapped. "Back to fighting. Now!"

Still in a slight state of shock, they did. Thistleclaw even vented some of his frustration by pouncing on Antpelt and proceeding to shred the former WindClan cat's back. He'd almost forgotten about Tigerstar until the tabby started meowing again:

 _"Risin' up—straight to the top, had the guts, got the glory  
Went the distance, now I'm not gonna stop  
Just a man and his will to survive—_

 _It's the Eye of the Tiger, it's the thrill of the fight  
Rising up to the challenge of our rival  
And the last known survivor stalks his prey in the night  
And he's watching us all with the Eye of the Tiger"_

There was the palest flash of ginger-and-white fur as Mapleshade leapt up behind Tigerstar. With satisfaction, she watched as the massive tabby tumbled from his perch with a startled yowl, laid sprawled on the ground below. Ears flat and teeth bared, he scrabbled to his paws and glared at the she-cat. "What was that for?" he hissed.

Mapleshade's amber eyes glinted with annoyance. "What do you think, mouse-brain? That really wasn't necessary, and I preferred this place when it wasn't overrun with starry-eyed idiots."

"Hey!" Hollowpaw of RiverClan protested. He provided an opening for Snowtuft, who slashed a paw at the dark brown tabby tom's face. The apprentice dodged the blow and counterattacked.

Mapleshade narrowed her eyes at Tigerstar. "Now, I'd appreciate it if you would oh so kindly shut your mouth and get on with planning our takeover of the Clans." She jumped down from the rock. "See you all later, mouse-brains."

Dead silence followed, the cats silently parting as she made her way through the clearing and faded into the trees.

Darkstripe looked at Tigerstar. "Let's do that again!"

"NO!"


	29. Little Too Late

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song: "Little Too Late" by Pat Benatar

_I hear you had a good offer down on, Third Avenue  
You tell me that was the reason  
For whatcha' put me through, yeah  
And now you come collapsin' back  
I feel the heat of your attack  
Want me to take you back  
I'm givin' you the sack  
So don't waste your time_

The ginger ThunderClan warrior stood facing the broad-shouldered dark brown tabby Clan deputy, shell-shocked. Squirrelflight had head the reason he'd left was because of a good offer.

"Please, Squirrelflight," Brambleclaw meowed. "I'm sorry for what I put you through."

 _Great._ Now _he wants me back._ Out loud, she mewed, "Brambleclaw, don't waste your time." Pretending she didn't see the hurt in his amber eyes, she turned and stalked away into the forest.

 _It's a little too little  
It's a little too late  
I'm a little too hurt  
And there's nothin' left that I've gotta say  
You can cry to me baby  
But there's only so much I can take  
Oh, it's a little too little  
It's a little too late_

Firestar's youngest daughter stopped walking when she reached a small clearing and lay down, enjoying the feel of newleaf sunshine. Her thoughts kept returning to Brambleclaw. It was too late—or so she thought—for any reconciliation between them. Squirrelflight was too hurt by his betrayal. They weren't mates anymore, so what was there to say?

She tensed and shot into a sitting position as she heard pawsteps behind her. The ginger she-cat turned around and crouched down, ready to attack.

Brambleclaw picked his way through the ferns that surrounded the clearing. His former mate relaxed, but not by much.

"What do you want, Brambleclaw?" Her mew was frosty, with the hint of a snarl.

 _You say you had a good time  
But did ya' think it was for free, yeah  
And how much did it get ya', all their flattery  
And now you come back, runnin' for protection  
You've been bitten by love and stung by rejection  
You can't connect  
What did you expect  
I'm still getting over you_

His amber eyes met her green ones. "I came after you, Squirrelflight, because we need to talk."

She scowled. "Yeah, right. You had a good time without me, didn't you."

Paws shuffled. "Okay, yes, I admit it: I did."

"Did you think it was for free, 'n' how much did all their flattery get you?"

He was puzzled. "I don't know what you're meowing about. Squirrelflight"—he moved closer—"I want us to get back together."

Ri-ight. You just want protection. Well, forget about it! Even so, she felt a tiny flicker of doubt. He hadn't gone after any other single ThunderClan she-cats; none of them connected. What had either of them expected, when Squirrelflight was still gettin' over the Clan deputy?

She pushed the emotion away and narrowed her green eyes.

 _"It's a little too little  
It's a little too late  
I'm a little too hurt  
And there's nothin' left that I've gotta say  
You can cry to me baby  
But there's only so much I can take  
Oh, it's a little too little  
It's a little too late"_

Brambleclaw, instead of backing away, moved closer. "Okay, I get it. Can't we just talk, first?"

The flame-colored warrior gave him a withering look. "Didn't you hear me earlier? And I repeat:

 _It's a little too little  
It's a little too late  
I'm a little too hurt  
And there's nothin' left that I've gotta say  
Well you can cry to me baby  
But there's only so much, only so much I can take  
Oh, it's a little too little  
It's a little too late"_

Now he moved away, but only by a few paw-lengths. "We _are_ going to talk, Squirrelflight. For now . . ."

"Just go, why don't you," she snapped.

Before he could, they heard Sandstorm yowling, "Brambleclaw, Squirrelflight, where are you? Firestar wants you on hunting patrol."

The two cats exchanged a disgruntled look before heading in the direction of Squirrelflight's mother's voice. On the way, the orange warrior prompted, "You were saying . . ."

She still wasn't ready for them to become mates again, no matter what. Or so she told herself.

 _It's a little too little  
It's a little too late  
I'm a little too hurt  
And there's nothin' left that I've gotta say  
Well you can cry to me baby  
'Cause there's only so much, only so much I can take  
Oh, it's a little too little  
It's a little too little  
It's a little too little  
It's a little too late_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for any OOCness. Anyway, reviews, please?


	30. When It Was Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song: "When It Was Me" by Paula DeAnda
> 
> I know it doesn't entirely fit the life of the Clans, but work with me here. It's just a perfect Leaf/Crow/Night song, in my opinion.
> 
> Shocker, I know. For once, I'm using a modern song. Sorry for those of you who don't like Heart or Pat Benatar, but I mostly listen to classic rock and those two just happen to be my favorite artists.

_Ooh, no  
Yeah, yeah_

 _She's got green eyes and she's 5' 5''  
Long brown hair all down her back  
Cadillac truck, so the hell what  
What's so special about that_

 _She used to model, she's done some acting  
So she weighs a buck o' 5  
And I guess she's all right  
If perfection is what you like_

Leafpool craned her neck over the heads of a group of ShadowClan cats, searching for Crowfeather. She spotted him and started padding over. There was time to talk before the Gathering started, and she wanted to ask him how he was doing.

The dark gray tom was gossiping with a few of his Clanmates, and as Leafpool came closer, she could hear what they were saying.

"Congratulations on Breezekit," a white warrior Leafpool recognized as Whitetail meowed. "You and Nightcloud must be so proud."

 _Who's Nightcloud?_ the ThunderClan medicine cat wondered. Suddenly she remembered just as she spotted a black she-cat with amber eyes sitting next to Crowfeather.

"We are," the WindClan queen mewed, pressing her pelt up against the dark gray tomcat's. Leafpool had to suppress the jealousy that rose up when Nightcloud gave her mate's ear a lick. She stalked up to the group, thinking, Well, I guess she's all right, if perfection is what you like. When she reached them, she meowed, "Hi, Crowfeather. You look well." Was it her imagination, or was Nightcloud bristling?

"Oh, hi, Leafpool. You know Nightcloud, right?"

She focused on him, completely ignoring the black queen. "Yes, I do. How's the prey running?" The tabby figured that was a relatively safe question, considering how hard she was trying to hide her feelings.

 _Ooh, ooh, and I'm not jealous, no I'm not  
Ooh, ooh, I just want everything she's got  
Ooh, ooh, you look at her so amazed  
I remember way back when you used to look at me that way_

Leafpool was trying to tell herself she wasn't jealous of his mate, but was hard not to be when she wanted everything Nightcloud had. A life with Crowfeather was right up there.

Sensing the awkward tension, Whitetail, Tornear, and Weaselfur trotted off to talk to friends in the other Clans.

"The prey's running fine," Crowfeather mewed, answering her question.

"So, I hear you've had a kit." Great StarClan, it wasn't any of her business! Although, he had told her himself when they met a couple of moons after Hawkfrost's death . . . If only they'd strike her down now . . . but she wouldn't risk her unborn kits.

Crowfeather's blue eyes shone as he looked at his mate. "Yes. Breezekit is doing fine. Although we've had to keep him out of the medicine den a few times already to stop him from upsetting Barkface's herbs."

Leafpool made the appropriate mouth noises, not sure what to say. She was too busy remembering when he looked at her in the same way he was eyeing Nightcloud.

 _Tell me what makes her so much better than me  
What makes her just everything I can never be  
What makes her your every dream and fantasy  
Because I can remember when it was me_

Finally, she mewed, "Crowfeather, can I talk to you in private?"

He glanced at his mate before looking back at her and meowing, "Sure." Nightcloud, taking the hint, moved off, glaring at Leafpool the entire time. When she was a safe distance away, the dark gray WindClan warrior asked, "What is it, Leafpool?"

Hackles up, she hissed, "Just what makes her so much better than me, Crowfeather—everything I'm not? Because I can remember when it was me you said you loved."

He was speechless. Leafpool could almost hear the paws of memory racing through his mind as he was trying to decide what to tell her.

 _And now you don't feel the same  
I remember you would shiver every time I said your name  
You said nothing felt as good as when you gaze into my eyes  
Now you don't care I'm alive how did we let the fire die_

At last he meowed, "You chose your Clan, remember? We have nothing more to say to each other." His blue eyes were chilly.

The light brown tabby felt like clawing him, but she knew it wouldn't change anything. Besides, this was a Gathering and she wasn't about to break the truce. As she turned away, Leafpool meowed quietly, "I remember you'd shiver every time I said your name. Remember how you said nothing was as good as when you looked into my eyes?"

"Leafpool . . ."

All she mewed was, "How did we let the fire die?" as she walked away without looking back.

She missed the longing look he threw in her direction.

 _Ooh, ooh, and I'm not jealous, no I'm not  
Ooh, ooh, I just want everything she's got  
Ooh, ooh, you look at her so amazed  
I remember way back when you used to look at me that way_

Nightcloud brushed past her, leaving the tabby medicine cat glaring after the night-colored queen. Her neck fur bristled and her claws curled away from the soft white fur of her paws. She _wasn't_ jealous. She _wasn't_ , but it was hard not to be when she saw Crowfeather sitting with his new mate. Why couldn't Leafpool be in WindClan? It would be so much easier, for all of them.

The memories didn't help.

 _What makes her so much better than me  
What makes her just everything I can never be  
What makes her your every dream and fantasy  
Because I can remember when it was me_

 _That made you smile, that made you laugh  
Me that made you happier than you have ever been, oh me  
That was your world, your perfect girl  
Nothing about me has changed, that's why I'm here wondering_

What in the name of StarClan made her his every dream and fantasy? Leafpool could remember that he'd told her she walked in his dreams when he saved her life. It had been the ThunderClan medicine cat who had made him happier than he'd ever been.

Now she suddenly realized that nothing about her had changed. Leafpool saved lives, but she was willing to bet Nightcloud had taken a few. Still, she couldn't help wondering.

She was so lost in her thoughts she didn't notice when the Clan leaders started the Gathering.

 _What makes her so much better than me  
What makes her just everything I can never be  
What makes her your every dream and fantasy  
Because I can remember when it was_

 _What makes her so much better than me  
What makes her just everything I can never be  
What makes her your every dream and fantasy  
Because I can remember when it was me_

 _When it was me  
When it was me  
When it was me_


	31. You Ain't So Tough

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song: "You Ain't So Tough" by Heart

_What in the world did I do to deserve you  
I don't understand why you treat me that way  
You were everything I ever wanted  
You had your own way of making me pay_

Heathertail stood on the WindClan-ThunderClan border, scanning the undergrowth on the other side of the stream for any movement. Her pale blue eyes spotted the flash of a golden tabby pelt; then Lionblaze stepped out, intent on his prey. As the mouse scurried forward, he leaped, but his paws landed a tail-length away. Cursing, he glanced up, freezing as he saw Heathertail. "What are _you_ doing here?" he snarled.

"Uh, I live here," she replied. "And I'm still on my side of the border, so don't accuse me of trying to cross." Already she knew coming here had been a mistake. The pretty light brown tabby wondered what she'd done to deserve him since it was obvious he now hated her, even though she still loved him. She didn't understand why he treated her like this.

Lionblaze bristled. "I wasn't going to." His fur smoothed back into place. "Heathertail, we need to talk."

She stared at him. "No, we don't!"

 _Then you took it just a little too far  
Now I see you for what you are  
I don't need the heartache anymore_

Heathertail could see his muscles tense and stepped aside as he sprang and landed beside her. Determination shone in his amber eyes. "Yes, we do," he meowed.

Suddenly Heathertail was afraid of him. She found herself backing away, tail lashing and claws unsheathed. The WindClan warrior didn't need any more heartaches—especially coming from Lionblaze.

 _Loving you was an endless fight  
I was wrong and you were always right  
But look what happened when I called your bluff  
When the truth comes out you ain't so tough_

Loving the ThunderClan warrior had been an endless battle, although Heathertail missed the times they had spent playing in the tunnels as warriors of DarkClan. She had been Heatherstar, the Clan leader, and he had been her faithful deputy, Lionclaw. Lionblaze, or so he thought, had always been right.

Now that all of the Clans knew he and his littermates were half WindClan, he didn't seem as tough.

 _You turned me into an emotional prisoner  
You hit me with words that cut to the bone, oh  
Then you kissed me and made me believe that I needed you  
And think I could never survive on my own_

"Heathertail, just listen—"

She cut him off. "Lionblaze we _do not_ need to talk! Aren't you padding after Cinderheart anyway?"

His eyes, though still determined, now had a frosty look to them. "Aren't you padding after Breezepelt?" he retorted.

She recoiled at the idea. "Great StarClan, no! He's just a Clanmate and friend." Heathertail hated the way he was turning her into a prisoner of her own emotions.

He moved closer to her. "I'm _sure_ that's all he is." His voice was scathing. "I've seen the way he looks at you." Each word cut her to the bone.

"Believe me, I don't love him back." Heathertail could feel her gaze soften, though she still kept her claws out in case he tried anything. "There's only one cat I'm interested in, and I'm looking at him right now." Mentally she chastised herself as soon as the words left her mouth. StarClan's kits, she was stupid.

When he pressed his pelt against hers, twined her tail with his, and rasped his tongue across her face, Heathertail was too stunned to react. With that simple, intimate action, he made her feel she couldn't survive on her own.

That whole idea was completely mouse-brained.

 _Never thought that I would break away  
Now I see right through your power play  
And I don't feel so helpless after all_

She quickly moved away from him, shaking out her pelt from ears to tail-tip. The blue-eyed tabby suddenly saw right through his power play. "Leave me alone, Lionblaze."

"But—" Confusion was written all over his face, but she didn't care. Not when she didn't feel so helpless.

 _Loving you was an endless fight  
I was wrong and you were always right  
But look what happened when I called your bluff  
When the truth comes out, hey, you ain't so tough_

"But nothing," Heathertail meowed, crouching down, muscles tense. She leaped and bowled him over, taking him by surprise. Before he could counterattack, the WindClan she-cat leaped clear and sat down, wrapping her tail neatly around her paws. "Now, see what happens when I call your bluff? When the truth comes out, you're not as tough as you think you are."

 _You took me too far to forgive it  
That was your last mistake  
That was your last mistake_

"Remember when you attacked me during the Great Battle?" she asked, hoping to jog his memory. When Lionblaze nodded warily, she went on, "You hut my feelings too much for me to forgive you."

"But you did," he pointed out, a smug look on his face.

"Okay, that was your last mistake," she meowed, pouncing on him again.

 _Loving you was an endless fight  
I was wrong and you were always right  
But look what happened when I called your bluff  
When the truth comes out you ain't so tough_

The golden tabby rolled as soon as he landed on his back, but she was ready and leaped clear before he could suffocate her. What Heathertail didn't expect was that he knocked her paws out from under her and then planted his paws on her chest. He growled, "Admit defeat, already."

"Never!" Heathertail tried to break free, but he was too strong. Giving up, she meowed, "Okay, fine. Do you want to hear me say it?"

"Say what?"

"That I was wrong and you were always right."

The smug look returned. "Why, thank you."

She shoved him away. "Just get back to your own territory."

"Now, why would I do that?"

"Cinderheart."

"Good point." He rose, jumped the stream, and looked back. "Good night, Heathertail."

"Wait a moment." The words slipped out before she could stop them. Already her annoyance with him was returning.

Lionblaze turned and faced her. From what she could read of his expression, he knew she was irritated with him. "Yes?"

"Just thought I'd warn you:

 _You take it all but you don't give back  
You feel strong when the odds are stacked  
But there comes a time when enough's enough  
When the truth comes out you ain't so tough"_

There was a puzzled look on his face for a few heartbeats before he turned and trotted away, the moonlight and darkness playing over his pelt. Heathertail watched him go before heading back to camp, picturing him before dislodging the image.

 _You ain't so tough_


	32. I Don't Want To Be Your Friend

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song: "I Don't Want To Be Your Friend" by Pat Benatar

_Did you see me last night  
I was there in the dark  
I saw her look at you, the way I used to do  
When I still had your heart_

Leafpool was taking a night stroll along the WindClan border when she scented two WindClan cats, both of them familiar. _Mouse dung!_ Not wanting to be seen, she ducked beneath the nearest bush and curled up, making herself as small as possible. She watched as Crowfeather, her former mate, and Nightcloud, his new WindClan mate, came into view. A pang went through her. Nightcloud was looking at Crowfeather the way Leafpool used to when she still had the gray tom's heart.

 _I watched you take her hand  
There was love in your eyes  
I remember when you looked at me that way too  
Before we said good-bye_

Amber eyes narrowed to slits, the ThunderClan tabby watched as Crowfeather twined his tail with Nightcloud's and gave the black she-cat a lick on the cheek. Leafpool saw the love in his blue eyes when he turned back. She could remember when he looked at her like that, before they had broken up after the badger attack. _Don't you still care at all for me, Crowfeather? Can't we still be friends?_ She already knew the answer to that.

 _I don't want to be your friend  
I just want to be your lover  
I don't think I can pretend  
That you mean nothing to me_

 _It's hard enough to say good-bye  
Even when you know it's over  
I don't want to be your friend  
I want to be your lover_

Leafpool didn't want to be just Crowfeather's friend; she wanted to be his lover. It was so hard for her to pretend that she didn't mean anything to him anymore. Having to say good-bye to him was hard enough, but then to sever all connections with him, her knowing she was going to have his kits and that it was over between them . . . How could he expect her to go on like this?

 _Am I gone from your thoughts, forgotten somehow  
When you lie there with her  
Does my memory stir, any part of you now  
I know that I should concede, face the truth and all that  
I know I should realize, I'm not a part of your life anymore  
But I can't_

 _'Coz I don't want to be your friend  
I just want to be your lover  
I don't think I can pretend  
That you mean nothing to me_

 _It's hard enough to say good-bye  
Even when you know it's over  
I don't want to be your friend  
I want to be your lover_

As the two cats walked so closely their pelts were brushing, Leafpool couldn't help wondering if memories of her were playing in the dark gray WindClan warrior's head. Am I completely gone from your thoughts? She knew she should face the truth that she wasn't part of his life anymore, but she couldn't. After all, she didn't want to be just friends, not after what they'd been through to be together. The light brown tabby she-cat could not pretend that he meant nothing to her, and she hoped he felt the same way about her. Well, she'd find out one of these days.

 _And when I think I've had enough  
And I just can't stand the pain  
I reminisce about the way  
It felt to have you every day  
You know that every time I hear your voice  
I still get a thrill  
And there's nothing I can do about it_

Jealousy and pain flashed through her when Crowfeather and Nightcloud started sharing tongues, grooming the tangles out of each other's fur. To distract herself, Leafpool found herself reminiscing about the way it felt to have him every day.

"Crowfeather?" she heard Nightcloud mew.

"Yeah?" the dark gray tom replied.

Hearing his voice, a shiver went through Leafpool. There was nothing she could do about the thrill she felt whenever she heard him speak.

Suddenly Nightcloud stopped grooming Crowfeather's flank and tasted the air. "Do you smell that?"

"Smell what?"

"ThunderClan. And it's fresh. Smells like that medicine cat you were padding after."

 _Fox dung!_ Leafpool cursed. She felt thankful when Crowfeather shrugged and rose to his paws. He meowed, "Let's head back to camp. We've been gone long enough."

Glancing back across the stream, Nightcloud picked herself up and followed him across WindClan territory. When they were gone, Leafpool crept out from her hiding place and bolted, memories of Crowfeather filling her head.

Why did it have to be so hard for her to let go?

 _I don't want to be your friend  
I just want to be your lover  
I don't think I can pretend  
That you mean nothin' to me_

 _It's hard enough to say good-bye  
Even when you know it's over  
I don't want to be your friend  
I want to be your lover  
I don't want to be your friend  
I want to be your lover  
I don't want to be your friend  
I want to be your_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I'm ba-ack! Reviews, por favor?


	33. What About Love?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song: "What About Love" by Heart

Crowfeather padded at the end of the WindClan patrol along the ThunderClan border. The hunting had been good, and every cat had a good haul of fresh-kill to add to the pile back at camp. Nightcloud and Breezepelt, a few paces ahead of him, kept shooting him dirty looks over their shoulders.

The dark gray tom sighed, though it was muffled by the squirrel he carried in his mouth. _Can't they see that I'm as loyal to WindClan as ever?_ he thought angrily. _Just because Leaf—_

His thoughts were interrupted by a rustling in the bushes coming from the ThunderClan side of the frozen stream. Startled, Crowfeather whirled to face it, unsheathing his claws and dropping the squirrel to bury it hastily in a prey-hole in the snow. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the rest of the patrol—Breezepelt, Nightcloud, Antpelt, and Sedgewhisker—do the same, bristling as they faced their unknown enemy.

A blackbird flew out of the bushes on the ThunderClan side of the ditch. There was a light brown blur of fur as a ThunderClan warrior leaped after it. "Got you!" it meowed triumphantly as its claws met in the bird's throat. Ruffling its neck fur, it sat back. Then as it realized where it was, the ThunderClan she-cat's eyes widened. "Oh, no."

Crowfeather stepped forward. "Hello, Leafpool."

The light brown tabby warrior replied icily, "Hi, Crowfeather."

Breezepelt interrupted with a wordless snarl. "Get off our territory, _prey-stealer_."

"Mouse dung to that," Leafpool retorted. "It's mine."

"You caught it on our territory!" Antpelt broke in, baring his teeth and taking a step forward. His brown fur was spiked up, and his ears—one black, the other brown—were flat against his head. Crowfeather swept his smoky-gray tail in front of the brown warrior, blocking his path before he could harm the former medicine cat. He reminded Antpelt, "It is ThunderClan prey. What would we want with a mouthful of feathers?"

Sedgewhisker, who had been watching the confrontation with no comment, suddenly whirled to face her dark gray Clanmate. "You've always been soft on ThunderClan," she accused.

Crowfeather bristled. "That's not true!" Letting out a derisive snort, he pointedly turned his back on the light brown WindClan warrior and found himself looking at Leafpool.

 _I've been lonely  
I've been waiting for you  
I'm pretending and that's all I can do  
The love I'm sending  
Ain't making it through to your heart_

This whole time he'd been pretending he didn't care for her or their kits. Under the circumstances, that was the only thing he could do. Nightcloud and Breezepelt were already mad at him for fathering three kits in a rival Clan with its medicine cat. Even so, he wasn't sure he could break through to the white-pawed tabby.

 _You've been hiding—never letting it show  
Always trying to keep it under control  
You've got it down and you're well  
On your way to the top  
But there's something that you forgot_

 _What about love  
Don't you want someone to care about you  
What about love  
Don't let it slip away  
What about love  
I only want to share it with you  
You might need it someday_

Crowfeather knew she still felt the same affection for him; she just wasn't letting it show. He was having to hide his lingering feelings for her as well. Besides, Leafpool was Firestar's daughter, and thereby held a high-ranking position in her Clan, while Crowfeather was the son of Ashfoot, the current WindClan deputy. So the two of them could be considered among the elite of their Clans. The dark gray WindClan warrior, however, couldn't help thinking that she was forgetting about something: love.

Leafpool meowed icily, "Well, Crowfeather? Do you have something to say, or are you going to stand there staring at me like a mouse-brained rabbit?"

His tongue was itching for a sharp reply but he bit back the words before he said something he would regret. Instead, he sighed and turned to his Clanmates. "Can you give us a few moments to talk? I'll meet you back at camp."

Breezepelt's ears flattened, Nightcloud bared her teeth in a silent snarl, and Antpelt's hackles rose, but Sedgewhisker narrowed her eyes, then shrugged. "Okay," she meowed. "But if you're not back soon, we'll come searching for you." The meaning in her words was not lost on Leafpool or Crowfeather; the amber-eyed she-cat flicked her tail and snorted. Then, when the WindClan patrol had left, Crowfeather gave her ear a lick.

"What the— ?" Startled, the brown tabby swiped a forepaw at his face. The gray-black tom dodged the blow easily. He meowed, "Leafpool, just hear me out."

She eyed him warily. "Start talking."

"Look, I know I'm not your favorite cat right now, but don't let love slip away. You might need it someday."

"Are you even listening to yourself?" she asked, her frosty demeanor softening a little.

"Actually, I think I've been hanging around Kestrelflight a little too long."

Leafpool let out a mrrow of laughter at that. "You sure it's not Squirrelflight who's been influencing you?"

"Good point."

 _I can't tell you what you're feeling inside  
And I can't sell you what you don't want to buy  
Something's missing, you've got to  
Look back on your life  
You know something here just ain't right_

The humor in her eyes faded, only to be replaced by pain. "Crowfeather, I'm sorry. I'm sorry for leaving you for my Clan, for lying about our kits. . . ." She lashed her tail in frustration, kneading her paws into the ground. Obviously, she was feeling confused. And as she mentioned those events, Crowfeather felt his old pain and anger with her return. No one would be able to tell them what their inner feelings were, and he certainly couldn't do that for Leafpool. She wouldn't have bought it anyway.

"Something's missing," he heard himself murmur.

The ThunderClan warrior stopped fidgeting and stared. "Oh, you think?" she meowed sarcastically. "Maybe looking back would help."

"Let me guess: something here isn't right."

"Well, yes."

 _What about love  
Don't you want someone to care about you  
What about love  
Don't let it slip away  
What about love  
I only want to share it with you_

After a few heartbeats, the WindClan warrior mewed, "Leafpool, don't you want someone to care about you?"

"How did you— ?" She bit off the question. Ironically, this gave him the answer. Crowfeather meowed, "What about love?"

"You're sure you're not a medicine cat?"

"Let's just say I've had a lot of time to think on the subject. Besides, I only want to share it with you."

He was lost as he gazed into those beautiful amber eyes. The splash of white on her chest and those white paws added contrast to her otherwise light-brown pelt. _Face it, Crowfeather, you're gone._

"Me, too," she whispered, "but you have a mate and your WindClan son to think about."

"Leafpool!" Sorreltail's voice, tree-lengths away, cut through the silence.

"Crowfeather!" Sedgewhisker, calling from the moors, was also searching for her Clanmate.

"Time's up," he heard Leafpool meow. Then the tabby darted back through the snow-covered trees, her blackbird clenched in her teeth. "I'm coming, Sorreltail!"

Crowfeather watched her go. At Sedgewhisker's impatient yowl, he turned and headed for camp. All he saw in his mind was an image of his former ThunderClan mate. _Help me, StarClan._

 _What about love  
Don't you want someone to care about you  
What about love  
Don't let it slip away  
What about love  
I only want to share it with you_

 _Love  
Oh oh what about love  
Love oooh  
What about love  
Love love love   
What about, what about love  
Oooh what about_


	34. There's the Girl

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song: "There's the Girl" by Heart
> 
> This is another karaoke chapter. It's the only way I could think of doing the song.

_Nightcloud's eyes narrowed as she stole_ a look at her mate. She and Crowfeather were at a Gathering, along with a few of their Clanmates. Currently, the dark gray tom's blue gaze was fastened on a certain ThunderClan she-cat.

The black WindClan warrior let out an irritable hiss. A puzzled Crowfeather swung his head around to stare at her. "What?"

Nightcloud just shook her head and meowed:

 _"You're a polished diamond  
Now you're feeling kinda rough  
Yes I know how long you been searching  
For the perfect touch  
You better hear what I say  
I can tell your eyes are just about  
to give you away"_

His ears flattened against his head. "Nightcloud—"

 _"Cause there's the girl  
That you were after  
Feel your heart beating faster now  
There's the girl that you were after  
Can you say that you don't want her anymore"_

With her gaze latched on to him, she could see Crowfeather fighting with himself. Fox-hearted traitor, Nightcloud thought, lashing her tail.

She couldn't help noticing that his blue eyes followed Leafpool as the light brown tabby padded across the clearing, weaving her way through the massive throng of cats. A slight growl rose in her throat as she continued:

 _"Just take my word now  
Cause you know it's true  
She ain't good enough  
for the likes of you  
You better hear what I say  
I can tell your eyes are just about  
to give you away"_

Crowfeather opened his mouth to protest, but Nightcloud slapped her tail across his jaws, making him choke on a mouthful of fur.

 _"Cause there's the girl that you were after  
Feel your heart beating faster now  
There's the girl that you were after  
And all the time you can't get past her  
There's the girl that you were after  
Broken glass, complete disaster  
There's the girl that you were after  
Can you say that you don't want her anymore"_

Crossly, he batted her tail away. "You're mouse-brained! Besides—"

She cut him off, voice and eyes cold.

 _"I believed you once  
When you explained  
That it wasn't so tough  
To forget her name"_

"I never—" Crowfeather broke off, distracted as he was by Leafpool's presence. It irritated Nightcloud that her mate clearly still had feelings for the former ThunderClan medicine cat. Angrily, she continued:

 _"Cause there's the girl that you were after  
Feel your heart beating faster now  
There's the girl that you were after  
And all the time you can't get past her  
There's the girl that you were after  
Broken glass, complete disaster  
There's the girl that you were after  
Can you say that you don't want her anymore"_

Finally Crowfeather had had enough. He stalked away from her. It didn't take a whole lot of brains to know where he was going.

Nightcloud let out a faint hiss and unsheathed her claws. What she wouldn't give . . .

"Let the Gathering begin!" Blackstar's yowl sounded from the Great Oak.

Fuming, Nightcloud decided to ignore the dark gray tom and settled with a group of her Clanmates. He'd never live this down. She'd make sure of it.

 _Curse you, Leafpool,_ the black she-cat thought.

 _There's the girl  
There's the girl  
There's the girl  
There's the girl_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if this one isn't that good.


	35. Dangerous

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song: "Dangerous" by Loverboy

_You're doing it every night  
You play with my emotions  
Before we go on fighting  
Let's get one thing straight_

_Is it gonna be him or me?  
You know I need an answer  
And now it's down to the wire  
And I just won't wait, oh no_

Ashfur unsheathed his claws and dug them into the ground, trying to control his irritation with the ginger she-cat standing in front of him. He absolutely hated that she was playing with emotions every night like this. The gray-flecked tom knew she still had feelings for Brambleclaw, Tigerstar's son.

Squirrelflight's emerald eyes stared at him cooly, meeting his hot blue gaze. Ashfur lashed his tail and meowed, "Look, Squirrelflight, I don't want to fight with you, but I just want to get one thing straight here. Is it going to be me or Brambleclaw? I need an answer."

Firestar's daughter curled her lips back over her teeth in a snarl. "I don't have to tell you anything," she spat. She unsheathed her claws as well, and raised one paw, studying the wicked ends. "You know, I'm glad it's just you and me out here in the forest. I wouldn't want any of our Clanmates to see this, don't you agree?"

Ashfur nodded mutely. He suddenly felt a flash of anger for the she-cat he loved, and his hackles rose.

_There's something going on  
I want to hear it from you face to face  
Yeah, you know it won't be long  
Before you make your last mistake_

He sighed. "I know there's something going on between you and Brambleclaw, and I want to hear it from you face to face, Squirrelflight."

Her fluffy ginger tail lashed. "There's nothing going on between me and that bossy furball," she hissed, green eyes blazing. "How can you think that?"

Ashfur tensed as she padded forward, then relaxed as she nuzzled him, rubbing her whiskered cheek along his neck fur. Even as he leaned into her touch, he couldn't help but think about how long it wouldn't be before she made her last mistake.

_'Cause you're dangerous  
You've got it coming to you  
Dangerous—Now what am I going to do?  
Dangerous—And I'm a lot like you_

Like any other warrior, she was extremely dangerous whenever she was angry. Much like Crowfeather, Squirrelflight had a sharp tongue and an even hotter temper. No cat wanted to be on the receiving end of her wrath. But really, Squirrelflight had had this conversation coming to her for a while now. Now what was Ashfur supposed to do, especially since he was a lot like the ginger warrior?

_We got to talk it out  
There's three sides to every story  
Well ya, there's your side, there's my side  
And then there's the truth  
I want to hear it from you_

Ashfur let out a sigh. "We've got to talk this out, Squirrelflight." As much as he hated to, he stepped back. "You and I both know there's three sides to a story."

She blinked. "You're sure about that?"

"Well, yeah. There's your side, mine, and then there's the truth. Now, I want to hear it from you."

He shouldn't have said that, because now her irritation and frustration was back. "Ashfur, quit trying to protect me! I'm not a kit!"

"I never said you were!" he protested.

"You didn't have to," she snarled. "Tomcats! You're all the same." She turned and stalked off into the forest.

_You say we're all the same  
But I know you ain't no angel  
'Cause who you gonna blame  
When you wake up beside a stranger_

Ashfur was left staring after her. She might have said that all tomcats were the same, but he knew she wasn't a StarClan cat. There was going to be no one to blame but herself when she woke up beside Brambleclaw.

The gray warrior growled and lashed out with a paw before he stalked off, heading in the opposite direction from Squirrelflight. _This she-cat is going to be the death of me._

_Dangerous—You got it coming to you  
Dangerous—Now what am I going to do, babe?  
Dangerous—And I'm a lot like you  
I'm a lot like you_

_There's something going on  
I want to hear it from you face to face  
Yeah, you know it won't be long  
Before you make your last mistake_

_'Cause you're dangerous  
You've got it coming to you  
Dangerous—Now what am I going to do, baby?  
Dangerous—and I'm a lot like you  
I'm a lot like you  
I'm a lot like you  
I'm a lot like you_


	36. Not One of Us

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A look in on ThunderClan's thoughts during Tigerclaw's exile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was originally published as a one-shot under the title "Not One of Us." It can still be found as a one-shot; I just think it could also fit into this story, since this is a Warriors songfic collection after all.
> 
> Any recognizable lines and dialogue comes from _Forest of Secrets_ and _The Lion King II: Simba's Pride_. I do not own Warriors, am not one of the Erins, and I was not old enough to have been working for Disney when they released that movie in 1998—I would have been two years old at the time.

“Kill him!”

“Blind him!”

“Drive him out of the forest!”

Bluestar sat motionless, her eyes closed. Fireheart could feel the pain coming off her in waves, the bitter shock of betrayal as she discovered that the deputy she had trusted for so long was black at heart. “Tigerclaw,” she meowed, “do you have anything to say in your defense?”

Tigerclaw swung his head around and fixed her with a yellow glare. “Defend myself to _you_ , you gutless excuse for a warrior? What sort of a leader are you? Keeping the peace with other Clans. _Helping_ them! You barely punished Fireheart and Graystripe for feeding RiverClan, and you sent them to fetch WindClan home! I would have never shown such kittypet softness. I would have brought back the days of TigerClan. _I_ would have made ThunderClan great!”

“And how many cats would have died for it?” Bluestar murmured, almost to herself. Fireheart wondered if she was thinking of Thistleclaw, the arrogant, bloodthirsty warrior she could not have let become deputy instead of her. “If you have nothing to say, then I sentence you to exile,” the leader announced, her voice cracking. Every word seemed to be dragged out of her. “You will leave ThunderClan territory now, and if any cat sees you here after sunrise tomorrow, they have my permission to kill you.”

“Kill me?” Tigerclaw spoke now, snarling his defiance. “I’d like to see any of them try.”

There was silence for a while. Then Sandstorm hissed, _“Deception.”_

 _“Disgrace,”_ another she-cat meowed in disgust.

 _“Evil as plain as the scar on his face,”_ they mewed in unison.

Other members of the Clan took up the chant:

_“Deception.”_

_“An outrage!”_

_“Disgrace.”_

_“For shame!”_

_“He asked for trouble the moment he came,”_ Whitestorm meowed, his neck fur bristling.

_“Deception.”_

_“An outrage!”_

_“He can’t change his stripes,”_ Mousefur meowed.

_“Disgrace.”_

_“For shame!”_

_“You know these outsider types,”_ Darkstripe mewed as an aside to Longtail, shooting a glance at Fireheart.

 _“Evil as plain as the scar on his face,”_ Frostfur snarled, sheathing and unsheathing her claws.

 _“See you later, agitator!”_ Graystripe meowed mockingly.

_“Deception.”_

_“An outrage!”_

_“Just leave us alone!”_ Cinderpaw hissed.

_“Disgrace. For shame!”_

_“Traitor, go back with your own!”_ Fireheart yowled.

Whitestorm shook his head as he repeated, _“He asked for trouble the moment he came.”_

_“See you later, agitator.”_

Tigerclaw’s yellow eyes swept frantically around the Clan, searching for any cat he might call friend. His searching gaze landed on Darkstripe and Longtail, but Fireheart and Graystripe moved in front of the other two toms, blocking them from the deputy’s view. Lip curled in a wordless snarl, yellow eyes blazing, Tigerclaw raised his head with a mixture of pride and defiance and turned away, padding silently through the gorse tunnel.

It wasn’t until he was safely outside the camp that he began to run, the voices of his Clanmates ringing in his ears.

_“Born in grief. Raised in hate. Helpless to defy his fate. Let him run, let him live, but do not forget what we cannot forgive._

_“And he is not one of us. He has never been one of us. He is not part of us. Not our kind._

_“Someone once lied to us. Now we’re not so blind.”_

He could almost hear Fireheart and Graystripe’s voices above the others as the kittypet and his friend pointed out, _“For we knew he would do what he’s done.”_ Their voices soon joined that of the rest of the Clan:

_“And we know that he’ll never be one of us._

_“He is not one of us.”_

Tigerclaw ran, forcing himself to move faster and faster until he was flying, his four paws barely touching the ground.

He would never be able to run fast enough.

_“Deception. Disgrace. Deception. Disgrace. Deception. . . .”_


	37. My Lullaby

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> . . . Blame _Crookedstar's Promise_ for this one.
> 
> Song: "My Lullaby" from _The Lion King II: Simba's Pride_

Mapleshade circled behind the RiverClan kit she’d been training and noted how tired he looked. She nudged him with a paw in the direction of a natural nest made up of clumps of moss. “Sleep, my little one,” she purred. “Let your dreams take wing. One day when you're big and strong, you will be a king.”

“Good night,” Crookedkit mumbled, curling up in a ball and tucking his nose under his paw.

“Good night, my little kit. Tomorrow, your training intensifies.” Mapleshade rested her tail-tip on his head for a heartbeat, then turned and slunk into the dark forest. Memories stirred in her head, and her heart quickened with hatred.

“I've been exiled, persecuted,” she snarled, “left alone with no defense. When I think of what that brute did, I get a little _tense.”_ She stopped, snapped her jaws together as if biting into a juicy bit of prey.

Glowing eyes appeared through the trees around her as her Dark Forest Clanmates padded closer, drawn to her by their own curiosity.

“But I dream a dream so pretty,” the ginger-and-white she-cat continued, “that I don't feel so depressed 'cause it soothes my inner kitty, and it helps me get some rest.”

A fallen, rotting log appeared in her path; Mapleshade gathered her haunches beneath her and landed on top of it in a single bound. Snakeheart, Shredtail, Silverhawk, and some other dead warriors gathered beneath her.

“The sound of Shellheart's dying gasp. His sons squealing in my grasp! His warriors' mournful cry. That's my lullaby!” she yowled, her tail lashing the air. Then she sank into a crouch, her ears flattened against her skull. “Now the past I've tried forgetting, and my foes I could forgive. Trouble is, I knows it's petty, but I hate to let them live.” Unsheathing her claws, she swiped at the air.

“So you found yourself somebody who'd chase Shellheart up a tree,” Snakeheart meowed.

Mapleshade bared her teeth at him. “Oh, the battle may be bloody, but that kind of works for me.” She jumped down from the fallen log, shoving the dark tabby aside as she made her way to the log pile. The others streamed after her, gleaming eyes hungry for battle and the spilling of blood.

Mapleshade clawed her way to the top of the pile, then spun around to face her fellow Dark Forest cats. “The melody of angry growls!” she caterwauled, amber eyes glinting. “A counterpoint of painful howls! A symphony of death, oh my! That's my lullaby!”

Her eyes landed on Crookedkit, still asleep. Inwardly, the former ThunderClan she-cat marveled at the RiverClan kit’s ability to sleep through this much noise. And though she was only using him to exact her own revenge, something in her softened as she studied him.

Carefully, she climbed down from the log pile and padded over to the light-colored tabby. Her former RiverClan mate‘s face flashed in her mind. “Appledusk is gone . . . but I’m still around to love this little lad,” she purred, resting a paw on his side and licking the back of his ears. Then she backed away, whirled around and scored her claws down the nearest tree. “Till he learns to be a killer with a lust for being bad!”

Silverhawk and Shredtail had surrounded Crookedkit. Shredtail poked at the kit with one unsheathed claw. “Sleep, ya little termite!” he snapped. At Mapleshade’s warning hiss he quickly amended, “Uh—I mean, precious little thing!”

“One day when you're big and strong—” Silverhawk began.

“You will be a king!” Mapleshade finished for him, pride in her mew. Then, unable to stay still for long, she climbed up the tree and perched in the lowest branch, her amber eyes peering out at the tomcats beneath her. “The pounding of the drums of war,” she meowed, her voice betraying her excitement. “The thrill of Crookedkit's mighty roar!”

“The joy of vengeance!” Snakeheart meowed.

“Testify!” Shredtail yowled.

“I can hear the cheering,” Mapleshade mewed, amber eyes gleaming in the sickly green light.

“Crookedkit! What a guy!”

Mapleshade studied the tomcats below her, took in their lashing tails, hungry eyes and the flash of unsheathed claws. She bared her teeth in a snarl before lifting her head up to the forest canopy, wishing for a moment that StarClan could see her now.

“Payback time is nearing, and then our flag will fly against a blood-red sky! _That's_ my lullaby!”


	38. Confrontation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by [this Warriors MAP](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIgdgdvmv9k).
> 
> Song: "Confrontation" by Anthony Warlow, from _Jekyll & Hyde_

Brambleclaw curled up in his nest in the warriors' den unable to shake his unease over what Tigerstar would do to him as punishment for killing Hawkfrost. Again, his half-brother's words played in his mind:  _We will meet again, my brother. This is not over yet._

He'd been forced to kill the RiverClan warrior this morning to save not only his own life, but that of Firestar. Hawkfrost had lured both ThunderClan's leader and deputy into a trap, had tried to persuade Brambleclaw to take Firestar's remaining lives so that he could be leader and carry out the plan the two of them had made with their father's vengeful spirit. Now it was nighttime, and the Clan was settling down to sleep.

Even with Squirrelflight curled up next to him, Brambleclaw was afraid to close his eyes and sleep. The rest of the Clan could never know what had really happened that morning by the lakeside—all they knew was that Hawkfrost had tried to kill Firestar and Brambleclaw had saved the ginger tomcat. 

_Fool! Do you think I did this alone? Do you think you're safe within your own Clan? Think again!_

Neck fur bristling with unease, Brambleclaw closed his eyes and placed one paw over his nose. No ThunderClan warrior would have led Firestar into that trap; Hawkfrost had to have been lying.

Right?

 _Stop it,_ Brambleclaw told himself. He would deal with the possibility of a traitor later; as it was, he had proved himself to be a loyal deputy—had finally shaken off Tigerstar's dark influence. To calm himself down, he nestled closer to Squirrelflight, let his mate's sweet scent wash over him.

His eyes opened onto an endless forest where light never penetrated the canopy, where the ground was covered in dead leaves and sickly glowing lichen. Mist curled between the tree trunks.

 _No!_ Brambleclaw unsheathed his claws, sank them into the mulch. 

"Do you really think that I would ever let you go?" His half-brother's voice came from behind him, oozed menace. "Do you think I'd ever set you free?" Closer now—maybe by one fox-length. "If you do, I'm sad to say it simply isn't so." Now the former RiverClan warrior was right next to him, voice hissing in his ear: "You will never get away from me."

ThunderClan's deputy flattened his ears against his skull and whirled to face the spirit of his half brother. "All that you are is a face in the mirror; I close my eyes and you disappear!"

Hawkfrost's lips drew back in a sneer. "I'm what you face when you face in the mirror. Long as you live I will still be here!"

"All that you are is the end of a nightmare," Brambleclaw retorted. "All that you are is a dying scream. After tonight I shall end this demon dream!"

The blow caught him by surprise, sent him skidding across the floor to land against a tree. His dead brother loomed over him, one forepaw raised. "This is not a dream, my friend," Hawkfrost snarled, "and it will never end. This one is the nightmare that goes on!  _I_ am here to stay no matter what  _you_ may pretend, and I'll flourish long after you're gone."

Brambleclaw pushed himself to his paws, amber eyes narrowed as he glared at his half-brother. In his mind's eye he could again see the stake of the fox trap impaled through the former RiverClan cat's throat, could see and smell the blood flowing from the wound. "Soon you will die and my memory will hide you," he hissed. "You cannot choose but to lose control!"

"You can't control me; I live deep inside you." Hawkfrost's ice-blue eyes gleamed. His tongue swiped across his jaws as if he'd finished devouring a juicy piece of prey. "Each day you'll feel me devour your soul!"

 "I don't need you to survive like you need me; I'll become whole as you dance with death. And I'll rejoice as you breathe your final breath!"

Hawkfrost  _mrrow_ 'd with laughter, bared his teeth. "I'll live inside you forever—"

" _No_!"

"—with Father himself by my side—"

"NO!" Brambleclaw recoiled, stepped back, tail wrapped around his hind legs.

"—and I know that now and forever they'll never be able to separate me from you!"

"Can't you see it's over now?" Brambleclaw meowed desperately. "It's time to die!"

"No, not I! Only you!"

"If I die, you'll die too!"

"You'll die in me; I'll  _be_ you!"

"Hawkfrost, leave me be!"

"Can't you see? YOU ARE ME!"

"NO!" Brambleclaw backed away from his half-brother, his neck fur bushed out in horror. "Deep inside—"

"I am you, you are me!"

"No! Never!" But he could still feel the spike from the fox trap driving into Hawkfrost's neck, see the blood spilling from the wound and staining the lake red, could still feel the juicy claws of ambition that had led him to the deputyship wanting him to take the step further and become leader. He'd had his chance, could have killed Firestar and taken his remaining lives...

"Yes, forever!" Hawkfrost's teeth were bared in a menacing grin.

"Take all your evil deeds and rot in the dark forest!" Brambleclaw growled.

"I'll see you there, Brambleclaw." Hawkfrost's blue eyes seemed to glow in the sudden blood-red light of the forest, remained even after his body had faded to nothing.


End file.
